Walking With Lions

Yes, that's me and yes, that's a real, live lion. We went to the Zorgfontein Game Reserve for a lion walk. The lions we walked with were siblings, Layla and Mufasa, and about 2 years old. The walk was different from the cheetah walk in that the lions were not on leashes so we generally weren't quite as close to them but, as you can see, we did get to come plenty close to them. And since I know the question will be asked if I don't answer it, the sticks we're carrying are simply to serve as a visual barrier to the lions. They're trained to not come closer to a person than the stick. So if one of the lions began coming closer than you were comfortable with, you just put the stick out between you and the lion and they'll stay that distance away. 

Watching and waiting for the lions.

First view of the lions.

Mufasa greeting the ranger.

Mufasa, two year old male

Layla, two year old female

Walking with the lions.