Life with the wild LIONS

Its the second largest game reserve
In all of Africa
The biggest in the South and home to
A mega pride
26 assorted Lions in different stages of learning
A lot of guidance and a lot of stress
And in all their hearts a yearning

For a coming together for guidance
male energy is required
The two huge males are setting scents
Its like being rewired
Everybody has a place
Its knowing that place, and
Working it in unison
Right across the land

The wild lands have such problems
And feeding is a prime
The ability to catch them
And not just waste ones time
Judgement is important too
The prey animal can be dangerous
Its important to hunt
Intelligently

No where to position yourselves
The chasers and the catchers
And everyone in their right place
The ambush it attaches
A lot of skill and patience
And frustration can ensue
If some hold back at vital times
As the young males often do

There will always be some misses
Its inevitable in fact
Success is about a collective group
Knowing how to react
And they have got their act together
A bit more I can see
And chasing down a Zebra
One of them running free
Lions run fast in short bursts
But are stocky muscled souls
So can be outrun by the prey
Exhibiting controls
Choosing game to hunt
Another pointer well to see
This price tried for a Hippo
But lost it tragically

One female got an injury
Significant it was
A crushing blow into the head
Really just because
She was not aware of the awful force
That a Hippo can create
And found herself in between its jaws
And that was far from great
Haemorrhaging from her brain
Punctured in the neck
Clearly that was quite some blow
It certainly did check

Her, laid her out for quite a while
In a great deal of pain
The pride were in some disarray
Thats why she took the strain
The hippo saw his chance and fled
Straight into the river
Saved although he’d bled
A number had been drinking
His nutritional stew
But he was safe and they were hungry
And pretty clueless too.

Now the pride had lost a hunter
Maimed by the Hippo’s wrath
She would have to rest up
Follow the sleepy path
And the others would have
Get together if they were to eat
They tried it with a big giraffe
But again he had them beat
He out ran them and they lost
Another chance to have a meal
Even lions must work in tandem
Which is altogether real

The two big males were sighted
The rulers of the pack
They had done with scent marking
And joined the gals attack
And soon they had Zebra
Down on and the ground
All 26 were onto her
In raging growls were drowned

Its a,ways a noisy dinner time
The make cubs really go
Delving into the rib cage
The organs for to flow
They are full of testosterone
The females have to wait
That Zebra didn’t last that long
She was gone at such a rate

All the flesh and skin and bones
Ground up and inside
The 26 Lions stomachs
Which none of them denied
Changes were afoot now
The pride were full up they
Chasers catchers all knew how
To replicate and pay

The pride all 26 of them
Were pretty full up, they
Prepared themselves for resting up
Awaiting a new day
Great golden clouds hung gently
The rain fell in silver sweeps
The Kruger great Lion Army
Relaxes and then reaps