Lion Tagging in Zimbabwe

We hopped into the jeep and drove to The Hide - a lodge that is situated right in the Hwange National Park - arriving there before sunset. We checked our tires, had a cup of tea, and headed out on a bumpy dirt road with provisions of food, drink, blankets for what might be a classic "all-nighter." We also were completely equipped with guns, dart gun, tranquilizing drugs, all the tools necessary to radio collar any lions.

Two females with three cubs had been seen nearby, and we were told where to go to find her. She and her six-month-old cubs were walking near a bait that had been left chained to a tree. They smelled the food that we dragged along the road and left at the tree for the purpose of drawing in lions.

We were in our vehicles, strategically parked, waiting for the family to come in for a meal. They came in. The cubs were the most interested in eating the food, and the females let them eat it. This must have been because they had already eaten something earlier, otherwise, the females would have been eating before the cubs. One female wandered off quite far. The other stayed nearby in the low scrub-like bushes near the cubs.

Sunset turned into darkness, and the lions were still around. They had become difficult to dart as they kept hiding, and moving away from the vehicle, where Andy, the head researcher, was aiming the dart gun. Paul or I would shine the flashlight to find the lioness and keep an eye on the cubs. Eventually, we got close enough to dart one of the lionesses. The flashlight was held spotlighting her shoulder area. Andy hit her perfectly with the dart. She made a quick growl and moved into the bush right there and laid down. We had to let the drug take effect.

While waiting for our opportunity to dart the lioness, it had become quite dark. The darkness was overwhelming, and the Milky Way sky with its zillions of stars was dazzling. In this darkness, we had to keep our eye out for other animals roaming the area, to protect ourselves and to protect the downed lioness with her cubs. Around us, we saw an aardvark, a civet, spring-hares, wildebeests that were grunting, giraffes, and approaching elephants. You get to recognize species of animals over time by their eye glow at night, their eyes' positions in the darkness, and the movements they make.

The cubs went over to check out their mother, to make sure she was all right. They figured out she was okay, and took great pleasure in walking all over her, and playing with the dart that was in her shoulder! They especially loved the red flight at the end of the plastic tubing of the dart! (Hey, mom, this is even better than playing with the end of your big tail!) They did eventually lose interest in that, and went back to the bait.

That was the cue for the researchers to get out of the vehicle to make sure she was completely tranquilized, and they picked her up and moved her further out of the bushes so that she could be radio collared and examined more easily. I hopped out of the vehicle and joined in the duties. A cloth was put over her eyes, as lions do not shut their eyes when they are tranquilized, and they are never totally unconscious. I had to pour water on her to cool her down. A radio collar was put on her, and blood samples were taken. I recorded measurements, from the size of her incisors, to the width of her paw, the length of her tail, identifying markers. I petted every part of that lion, felt her teeth, felt her coarse tongue. Her hair was very similar to horse hair. Her paws were really large, and the pads were very coarse and calloused. The top of her head was much softer, and the ears were very velvety. The hair under her chin and chest was softer as well.

While we were examining this animal, her three cubs were wandering around us, unafraid. They had not yet been taught to be afraid of human beings. And because they figured their mother was just sleeping, and unworried, why should they worry? So, I had the great honor and privilege to walk among a trio of wild lion cubs. I felt like this must be a paradise, if only for a moment.

After the radio collaring, and measuring, and taking of all the data necessary, we had to wait for the lioness to wake up and return to normal. This took three hours. We virtually stayed up all night. The lioness did not start stirring again until 4:30 in the morning. It was really very cold, and I was wishing to be in a bed with some warm blankets over me. She slowly got up, now radio collared, and then wandered off, making her way through the grasses with her three cubs in excellent health, and we went back to Main Camp, had a large breakfast, and then went to our own beds for a few hours of sleep ourselves.

This lion pride will be documented and watched over with care now, and scientists will learn a lot more about some of the lions that live here in Hwange National Park.
One of the reasons this particular Zimbabwean researcher is studying lions, is because he is trying to change the number of trophy hunts of this species allowed in Zimbabwe. He feels that the quota is too high; that the population of lions does not have a healthy enough male population for the numbers trophy hunted at this time.

Hopefully, this research will help promote nature's prosperity.

Laura Walker,
docent, RWP Zoo