For the last few weeks as we have left for game drive we have seen a lone wildebeest walking around not far from the lodge. A few people have commented, wondering why he is on his own as wildebeest are herd animals, and some even felt sorry for the animal, asking if he was kicked out of the herd, as there were no other wildebeest to be seen in that immediate area. He didn't look old or weak, so this caused confusion to some of the guests. In fact he was not an old bull, nor an outcast, but was actually a young bull, at the top of his game who had chosen to leave the herd of his birth to establish a territory of his own, and hopefully entice a few females to join him and build up his own herd. As I began to explain how he would mark his territory and attract females, the guests felt a bit of relief knowing he was not such a loser!
As the drive continued we saw many other interesting things, including birds, a snake slithering across the road, and a host of other animals. Soon the time came to head home, and as we approached the lodge we stumbled upon a sight that was both awesome and shocking. That same wildebeest we had shared the early morning with had company! But not the friends he was looking for... a hungry lioness and her three young cubs had found him, and as happens out here, there was a casualty of that fateful meeting. She had caught him unawares and pounced, and before he knew it he was caught in a life or death struggle. His day went from hope and promise to misery and death. But that is the circle of life, and what means death for one animal means life for others.
