Do you have a neighbor cat who sleeps practically anywhere and everywhere? Wild huge cats, such as these lions, look to be in the same boat.
Animals were certain to notice that humans had left at some point, and lions in South Africa’s Kruger National Park have taken advantage of the situation.
The tigers lounging on the highways were originally noticed by Richard Sowry, a park ranger in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
Normally, rangers would only see huge cats roaming the streets at night.
What kind of camera was used to capture the photos?
Mr Sowry works as a ranger in one of Africa’s largest game reserves, and he continues to check on the wildlife and keep a look out for poachers during the lockdown.
Kruger National Park’s lions
On Wednesday afternoon, while driving near Orpen Rest Camp, he noticed the lions on the road ahead and pulled over at a five-metre (5.5-yard) distance to see the uncommon sight.
The lions were unconcerned as he shot photographs with his phone, with the majority of them appearing to be deep sleeping.
He stated, “Lions are used to people in automobiles.” “All animals have a natural dread of people on foot, so if I had approached on foot, they would never have let me get that near.”
The pride’s oldest lioness is around 14, “which is rather old for a lioness.”
While this was certainly a sight to behold, the rangers must guarantee that the tigers do not anticipate to be able to sleep on the highways for the rest of their lives.
Cars will eventually resume driving on them, and he doesn’t want the tigers to become accustomed to all this open “land.”
How is the lockdown affecting the park?
During these strange but tranquil periods, lions and wild canines have ventured onto the park’s golf course, which is typically crowded with humans; however, Sowry does not believe the lockdown has had a significant impact on animal behavior.
He describes Kruger as “a pretty wild environment.” “It’s been crazy and it continues to be wild.”
In these strange and trying times, he hopes the images he posted might provide people a ray of joy.
“These are tough times for everyone,” he continues, “and the goal was to provide joy to people.”
Kruger National Park’s lions
“Everyone understands the seriousness of the lockdown, and the rangers are there to perform their usual jobs,” says Isaac Phaala, a media officer. “It takes a lot of effort to maintain the infrastructure so that you don’t have to start from scratch when the park opens.”
“Normally they would be in the bushes due of the traffic,” he says of the lions, “but they are extremely smart and today they are enjoying the freedom of the park without us.”
But why, you may wonder, would lions prefer the hardness of pavement over the softness of grass?
It was probably because it had been raining on Tuesday night, and “the asphalt was drier than the grass at the time — large animals and water don’t mix,” as Mr Phaala said.
