I have been waiting a long time to be able to play with a baby lion, and finally I found my chance. We had a one day layover in Johannesburg in between scuba diving Reunion Island and flying to Cape Town. My last time through Joburg I saw a flyer for a place just outside of town called the Lion Park which had some interesting activities. Walking with a cheetah was one thing that caught my eye. So with that in mind we drove out to the Lion Park straight after flying in. It is about an hour from the airport.
One shoelace down
When we got there I was quite pleased to see not only do they have lions and cheetahs but also a large pack of African wild dogs. Plus next to the Cheetah encounter you could also buy a lion cub encounter. Heidi and I had walked with lions before down in Zambia near Victoria Falls but those cubs were already 1.5yrs old and quite large. These cubs turned out to be about 9 weeks old and quite playful. In fact while we were in with them they tore a girls pant leg, chewed through my shoe lace, and pounced on me as my back was turned. It was amazing. They were soft, energetic, and just like you would expect a baby lion to be.
Watch out for your pants
Right when we walked into the enclosure one of the lions was down in stalking behavior. If you want to see the baby lion stalk and ambush me check out the video above. The cubs were so rambunctious that they stopped allowing small children in just before we stepped in. As it turns out that was a very good call on the part of the guide.
Petting a cheetah
Heidi and I with a cheetah
After an amazing time with the lions we went in with a beautiful Cheetah. These are quite elusive animals in the wild, and while I have had an opportunity to photograph them in the wild the encounters are few and far between. This is mostly due to their highly endangered status and declining numbers. Scientists are worried about a genetic bottleneck with the cheetah species with so few numbers remaining in the wild.
Now that is close
So not only was this my chance to photograph the finer details of this majestic animals but maybe for the only time in my life actually touch and feel a cheetah. There is something magical about the fastest land mammal that is hard to explain. And while it is always a little sad to see wild animals penned up, no matter how big the enclosure, there is something to be said about captive breeding of endangered animals as well as forming bonds with present and future conservationalists who will go on to protect those still in the wild.
If you like the stories and pictures on the blog the best way to support it and get something worth keeping in the process is to purchase pictures from my site. Check out my cheetah pictures and more at http://www.daimarsphotos.com/Africa/African-Wildlife
No matter how quick a trip to Maui might be there will be hidden gems found and great times had. After a little snafu with my flight I made it standby to Maui, picked up my rental car, and rushed off to meet my friends on the road to Hana. We met at Frog Pond, one of our favorite swimming holes near the beginning of the road to Hana. After some rock hopping and cliff jumping here we decided to check out the hidden waterfalls at mile 11. I'm not sure what the name of these falls are but there are two of them, each with their own swimming holes. It is just off the highway but separated by lush jungle. A rope swing beckons the adventurous and rocks warmed by the sun give you more than enough reason to while away the afternoon.
High above the crowded beaches of South Maui lies a hidden secret adventure that only those in the know will ever experience. Hidden only a thousand yards or so off a well traveled road around 4,000ft in elevation sits a massive cave which angles slowly down the side of Haleakala volcano. The amazing formations inside and the cave itself were formed by lava, creating an underground tube to transport the lava farther down the slope of the volcano. The same thing can be seen actively happening on the Big Island currently. Luckily this lava tube is all dried up making it much safer to explore. However the loose rocks and obvious cave ins leave some cause for concern. Part of this adventure is just finding the entrance. This included a dirt road, a jeep trail, jumping an old stone wall, then bushwhacking through dense brush for about tweny-five minutes before finding the lava tube entrance. It was surrounded by ferns, just like the famous Thurston Lava Tube in Volcanoes ...
You never know what might be hiding in your backyard. Here on Maui there have always been tales of people finding Jackson's chameleons in their bushes. The trick is to travel a few thousand feet up Haleakala volcano to Makawao, Pukalani and Kula towns where the temperature is a little cooler and it is a bit wetter, perfect conditions for chameleons. There are no native reptiles on Hawaii. These beautiful chameleons were released or escaped from the pet trade. Luckily they have not become invasive like many other introduced species, however they have increased in population and seem to be doing quite well in the higher elevation areas. Heidi and I went on a search the other day at our friend's house in Kula and were shocked to find a dozen different chameleons in her side yard hedge. They were mostly at eye level, and were curled up asleep for the night. We found them easily enough with flashlights since they seem to sleep near the outer edge of the hedge at night. ...
When we got there I was quite pleased to see not only do they have lions and cheetahs but also a large pack of African wild dogs. Plus next to the Cheetah encounter you could also buy a lion cub encounter. Heidi and I had walked with lions before down in Zambia near Victoria Falls but those cubs were already 1.5yrs old and quite large. These cubs turned out to be about 9 weeks old and quite playful. In fact while we were in with them they tore a girls pant leg, chewed through my shoe lace, and pounced on me as my back was turned. It was amazing. They were soft, energetic, and just like you would expect a baby lion to be. 
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