Lions!!!

We saw a mating pair of lions this morning in Kruger Park!  We started out at 5:30 AM, and split into three groups to fit into open-air safari jeeps.  It was a REALLY early start for most of us (although it turns out that a few of us are rather perky morning people; I won't name them here so as to keep them safe from everyone else).  The main reason we started so early was to be out there at the best time to see the big cats.  And it paid off when we saw this pair of lions!

At first we only saw the male.  His dark mane made him easier to spot in the tall grass in the shade under a tree.  He was sitting up like a sphinx, looking around at us.  After about five minutes, we realized that there was a female lying beside him. We spotted her when she rolled onto her back and put her paws in the air, the started grooming her back leg.  She cleaned herself almost exactly like a normal house cat.  After she finished, they both stood up and slowly walked away into the brush.  It was amazing and incredibly lucky to see those lions as lions are not a common sight in the park.  There are many who live here but they usually keep themselves well hidden from humans.