Midday Lion Cub

Hi Guys,
Here is another shot from my semester in Kenya and Tanzania (that I'm still on). This particular photo was taken in Ngorongoro Crater. After being unsuccessful in finding lions in both Manyara and Tarangire National Parks in northern Tanzania, I was counting on finding them in the crater. After another unsuccessful morning, with hyenas being the only predators we found, we ate a quick lunch and started looking again. All of a sudden I spotted something just 15 feet from the road at the edge of some bushes and yelled for the driver to stop. It was a lion mother and cub, both sound asleep. We spent about 20 minutes watching them before the cub got up and started getting licked by the mother lion. I've got some photos of that that I will likely share later. Then we were lucky enough to spend the next hour moving alongside them as they walked parallel to the road. They seemed entirely unfazed by our presence which was reassuring (I don't like to stress the animals I photograph). I guess they are so used to seeing safari vehicles that its not a problem.

This cub was about 7 weeks old based on its size, which is pretty amazing. Mothers dig dens (or use the big drain pipes under roads), and the cubs typically leave the dens at 6-7 weeks. So in all likelihood this was one of the cub's first adventures outside the den. And the mother's face had fresh blood on it, so the cub was likely able to experience a fresh meal as well (although at this age the cub would likely just taste the meat, he was still suckling from his mother).


Subject: Lion (Panthera leo) cub
Location: Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Northern Tanzania
Camera: Canon 7D
Lens: Canon EF 500mm f/4 IS - shot on pillow from sunroof of Land Cruiser. IS on in mode 1.
Exposure: 1/640ss @ f/5; ISO 125.
Crop: Full frame

So, let me know what you think, and stay tuned for more shots! This will likely be my last post for a week or so as I leave Saturday morning for a week of camping in the Serengeti! Oh and Brad, I really liked how you show the technical information for your shots, and I copied it... I hope you don't mind!(Let me know if you do!)

Thanks!

-Cam