Collected Moments of Survival

THE MARSH BABIES The Marsh Babies - a little glimpse of what Africa is all about. If you visit the Maasai Mara then you will more than likely hear the name Marsh Pride whispered with great reverence. A pride of lions whose tenacity and fierceness has earned them a place in the history books. Not too long ago two females, Siena and Charm whose story was told over and over again roamed the plains of the North. Charm was the matriarch of the pride and she was the fiercest of all. In her time that she was with us she led her pride with courage and determination. Our arrival in the Mara, coincided with the birth a few months before of 4 cubs who were Siena’s cubs. At the time I wasn’t really aware of the names of the lionesses as I tend to want to shy away from the practice we have of naming these wild animals who, I feel, deserve to live wild and free and naming them somehow, seems to reign in that freedom. As a result of this I don’t want to know the names of the prides or ...

My new title for my blog Travelling Light has a multilayered meaning and travelling light certainly also has something to do with how lightly we tread on the earth. It is my personal aim to make my own footprint as light as possible and to do as little harm as possible to my environment and the earth around me and it is in this light that I felt I should reflect a little on the past week's momentous reaction. This lion is not Cecil but a magnificent specimen who roams the plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania It is indeed strange what galvanises the human being into action. This last week we have seen momentum growing around the barbaric and senseless killing of a lion called Cecil. Before last week very few of us knew who Cecil was and probably most didn’t care. And then we can add that some still do not care. But then along came a crossbow hunter (Walter Palmer) from the great USA who decided that it was great sport to kill a lion in a most inhumane manner.  The shocking ...