‘We do not remember days, we remember moments.’ - Cesare Pavese

One of the most frequently asked questions asked to me by guests is “Steve, why do you take photos and what do you do with them?”

The simple answer is this, I take photos to capture a moment and to build and create memories whilst living and experiencing the magnificent African Bush. Still to this day after 3.5 years of being a guide, I can go through my photos and tell you about each and every sighting, where it was and whom I was with.

‘Life is a series of collisions with the future; it is not the sum of what we have been, but what we yearn to be.’ –Jose Ortega y Gasset

Within my first week of being at Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve we were able to successfully track down the mighty Southern Pride with my guests Robert and Joanie. Robert and Joanie had flown out from New York and straight into Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve where they joined us for an 8-night stay before flying back to New York. We left Little Bush Camp at the crack of dawn in the hope of finding the Southern Pride and it was not long until Heavyness (my tracker) had picked up on the tracks for the pride. Every tracking exercise is like an adrenaline rush as you try to interpret and picture yourself as that pride of lions, what they were doing and where they were going and how they were socially interacting. At this time the Southern Pride was the largest and strongest pride within the Sabi Sands, it was comprised of 17 individuals; 1 dominant male, 9 mature females, 4 sub-adult males, 2 sub-adult females and a 6 month old cub.

Their tracks lead us in circles and we had seen where the lions had been hunting and chasing zebra but unfortunately they had missed. We carried on looping around areas where their tracks lead us and continued to build up the excitement. All of a sudden, Heavy turned and looked at me saying and with huge excitement he said ‘Lions, Lions, Lions,’ I immediately looked into the direction where he was pointing and there sitting on a termite mound was one of the sub-adult males.

As we moved around and through the bush to position and watch these spectacular animals they slowly started to interact socially, grooming one another and chasing each other around creating a memory I will never forget. The lionesses got up and made their way to our private airstrip at Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve where they marched down the airstrip showing off their beauty and elegance, we were all left speechless. As the morning temperatures began to rise, we removed our jackets and put our hats and sunglasses on and yet the lions just continued to parade as if on a mission. Eventually they reached the Quarry and grouped together to quench their thirst before settling down alongside the water to sleep of their antics.

It’s incredible how lion populations can regulate themselves as in 2.5 years the Southern Pride has gone from 17 lions down to 6 lionesses with 3 new dominant male lions (Sand River males). We are unsure of what has happened to the pride but we can only assume that the 4 sub-adult males are living nomadically within the Kruger National Park, the one sub-adult female is now living and growing within the Southern Pride, the Kruger male has been chased into the Kruger National Park and we haven’t seen him in over a year now and at least two lionesses have been confirmed dead. It is amazing that with the Southern Pride and lion dynamics having decreased, the hyena population has rapidly and positively increased as well as the general game populations and so the ever changing cycle of the bush continues.

‘Why should we think upon things that are lovely? Because thinking determines life. It is a common habit to blame life upon the environment. Environment modifies life but does not govern life. The soul is stronger than its surroundings.’ – William James.