The Wildside

A pride of sleeping lions

24 Nov 2014 | From Andreas of Germany

POSTCROSSING FRIEND | POSTCARD SENT FROM SOUTH AFFRICA

Here's another lovely postcard from Andreas' South African trip. I wonder if he came across a pride of lions during his trip - more interestingly, a herd of sleeping ones. He was in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, and Tulbogh - three of South Africa's oldest towns.

When I was just a kid, I would always picture Africa as a huge savanna with several wild animals. Sort of The Lion King setting. But of course that is not the case now. But back then, I imagine Africa with a hot and humid temperature, a vast horizon of orange and brown, and friendly indigenous African people wearing their colorful clothes leading a happy, simple life.

And of course, the animals - a diverse fauna and wildlife that I thought I'd never see in my lifetime. Philippines and Africa are oceans apart. Probably the closest thing I can get to seeing them is through zoos or safari theme parks. I've been to some, but I have never seen a lion before.

Lions are unusually social compared to other cats. A pride of lions consists of related females and offspring and a small number of adult males. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates.

Lions live for 10–14 years in the wild, while in captivity they can live longer than 20 years. In the wild, males seldom live longer than 10 years, as injuries sustained from continual fighting with rival males greatly reduce their longevity. They typically inhabit savanna and grassland, although they may take to bush and forest.

There are no lions in the Philippines wilds. Perhaps in some zoos. But for now, I this postcard will have to do. Thanks, Andreas :)

SOURCE: Wikipedia