On the Lookout - Welgevonden Reserve, South Africa

There is always great anticipation when there is a lion sighting. The Rangers who first see it notify the other Rangers in the Reserve of the sighting and are in charge of selecting three other vehicles to participate in getting close to the lion. On our safari, it was usually the lioness who is spotted, as they normally are on the hunt for prey. This is especially true when there are cubs. Usually, the cubs are left in place while the lioness hunts. On this occasion, the lioness was spotted along with her two cubs. We were lucky enough to see and take photos of the cubs before the lioness emerged from the bush. She stopped and took in the area possibly looking for prey or maybe making sure that her cubs were safe. In either case, you can see her focus when she started to emerge from the bush.