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Filming a Lion Kill Nevertheless,
in spite of our very special relationship with three lioness sisters we followed for
months, the filming of a kill eluded us until almost the last day of filming. At the time,
the lionesses were fat with kills made during the night, and were sleeping it off in the
shade of a lone tree on a wide open plain. As they had eaten so much, I did not expect
them to react to the herd of zebras that appeared over the horizon. At first the zebras
were merely shimmering blurs in the distance, but they kept coming closer. At the distance
of about half a mile, one of the lionesses started to stare at them. Then looking around
the scant cover on the open plain, she clearly began to work out a hunting strategy.
Meanwhile, the zebras came closer, oblivious to any danger, and walked right into the
trap. Witnessing a lion kill is an extremely chilling experience. With awesome power
and determination, the lioness chased after her chosen victim, an adult male
zebra.Catching up with him, she leaped onto his back but was kicked off. For a moment,
I thought he  |
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would escape, but she was suddenly there again, gaining on him as he ran, and leaping once
more onto his back with such force that he stumbled, cart wheeling in a cloud of dust as
she fastened her jaws on a death grip around his throat. 
Then I started to worry about technical matters. Did I get exposure light? Did I move the
camera smoothly? And so on. After so many months of waiting, I did not want to find that I
had messed up the one and only opportunity of filming a lion kill. But on reflection, that
piece of drama was not the most moving experience of the production. It was overshadowed
by the trust the animals placed in us allowing us to follow them at close quarters day
after day. |
