African Lions

Photographs and words Nick Sidle

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The lion is one of the most emotive symbols based on an animal that appears in all the cultures that have come into contact with this magnificent beast. This has been true from earliest times, there are noted examples of the portrayal of lions in stone age art. To Europeans the lion has been an emblem of power and usually majesty. Lions appear as a symbol in Arthurian legend and three lions still form part of the British royal coat of arms. The Christian church has had mixed feelings about lions. One folk tale was that lions were born dead and only came to life after three days. To the church in earlier times, the symbolism was obvious and the lion was frequently used to denote Christ as a result. Some biblical texts however link lions with evil and the devil. In European symbolism, it is always the male lion with its great mane that is used as the true image of regal power. This is in part a failure to appreciate how lion society works, unless of course it was intended as a more honest comment on the nature of western monarchies than was certainly usual at the time. This is a point to be returned to later however.

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In the colonial period, the relationship of Europeans to wildlife in Africa was to take on a darker meaning. Dominance imperially could be reflected in hunting as much as any other part of life. Whilst the image of ‘The Great White Hunter’ was born, native Africans were frequently barred from pursuing game in areas where they had traditionally found the herds of animals a source of food, especially in times of famine. In such times, the effect of this policy was that great numbers of Africans starved. To the Europeans, one of the most highly prized animals to kill was the lion precisely because of the image it held in European culture. If you could kill the king of beasts then what did this say about you. All too often, what it said was not very much, or at least not very flattering. Whilst some Europeans did venture into the true countryside of Africa, many, especially those of highest rank, were far more careful of their comforts. In 1907 Winston Churchill, whilst on an inspection visit of the Uganda railway, frequently broke from official duties to indulge his passion for the hunt. His version however was to travel on a railway trolley with provisions of food, champagne and of course ice and then to target any animals that came within range. In all cases, the European form of the hunt was the rifle. Although an effective means to kill animals, including the lion, this was surely more a demonstration of greater engineering ingenuity than the spiritual conquest of the king of the beasts it was claimed to be, particularly in the case of a long range shot from a railway carriage. Many of the great went to Africa to kill their lion. The future George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Britain on their honeymoon in 1924 are but one example. The lure of the hunt in Africa also called to the places where European culture had taken root. Theodore Roosevelt, just after his term as American President, also went to East Africa. Nominally, he was collecting specimens for the Smithsonian Institution but the vast numbers of animals he shot has to undermine any view that this was his real motive. He was a great admirer of the British Empire in Africa. He wrote of the contrast as he saw it between the civilisation that the British had brought and what he described as the ‘primeval’ way of life it had pushed aside. He said that there was a frontier spirit that reminded him of the American West although in his opinion, the African peoples were less formidable than the Native Americans who he described as ‘Red Indians’. Confident then in his own value, Roosevelt accompanied by his son, who, with modern perspective bore the rather unfortunate name of Kermit which was passed on, went on to demonstrate their ‘superiority’ by slaughtering 512 animals, especially lions, and allowing many more to meet an unrecorded and agonizing end in the bush since neither of them was a proficient shot.

African cultures of course also have many references to the lion, most show the influence of rather greater experience of the animal. Whilst recognising the lion as a powerful form of life, spiritually as well as physically, traditional African stories often describe the lion as proud and lazy. In doing so, they reflect the real way that lions spend their days. Except when they are hunting, lions spend the remainder of their time resting which can be as much as 19 hours a day. Most of their activity is at night and so unseen, completing the impression that all they do is laze around.

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African legends also recognise some individual lions as being the most powerful spiritually, likened to great kings. Most native Africans took this as being a cause for respect and believed that the killing of such lions was wrong, even if they posed a danger.

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Socially lions are very complex. They live in groups called prides and it is the females that are the basis of the system doing most of the hunting and defence of the group’s territory. Pride sizes vary greatly but a typical group would be about six adult females, a coalition of adult males and any cubs. The females are almost invariably relatives.

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The males are frequently not related and are typically a cooperative group of two or three individuals. When this cooperative group is ousted by a rival coalition of males, all the male cubs they have fathered will also be driven out of the pride, unless they are very young in which case they are likely to be killed by the new arrivals. To those who are evicted, life comes as a shock since previously they would have been largely supported by the hunting skills of the females in the pride. These evicted males, known as nomads, have to learn to try and hunt for themselves and probably would not survive unless they were in a group together. A few lucky males though are evicted from a pride together with some of their sisters, in which case their life continues to be much easier.

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Lions can hunt as individuals but are most effective when they cooperate. They can take animals as large as a giraffe but typically they prefer medium-sized game such as zebra and wildebeest. In some ways, they serve to help the evolution of their prey species since, as might be expected, they are far more likely to take the slower, old or sick animals or the less observant. Unlike the domestic cat, they also only kill when hungry and possible prey seem to be able to sense when a lion is in hunting mood. At other times, they will in fact allow lions to approach to a relatively close distance.

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The magnificent mane of the adult male lion is probably a potent symbol of position in lion society, as well as possibly offering some protection in fights with rival adult males and serves to make the lion more intimidating in any confrontation. To other lions, the mane is clearly visible and sends a powerful signal even from a distance that this is someone to be reckoned with. Unfortunately for the male lion, it sends an equally effective signal to any potential prey who can see it just as easily as other lions. As a result, large male lions are usually very poor hunters and frequently have to rely on scavenging dead animals or taking part of a kill made by the females in the pride.

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Hierarchy and physical strength means that the male lions eat first and to their fill but this does not mean that they have earned it. Male lions have one real purpose in their society, to compete with other males. They do this extremely well but it is in fact at the cost of their usefulness for other functions. Even when it comes to defending pride territory against a rival group, male lions will only fight other males, whereas the females are expected not just to take on a rival lioness but also have to tackle the intruding males as well.

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Lions were once found throughout Africa, North into the Middle East and East to India where there is still a small population of Asian lions in the North. Over most of their range though, they have been pushed back by human expansion and now populations are becoming increasingly fragmented and separated, a worrying trend for their long term future. Continued shooting for sport is also feared to be taking a heavy toll, especially on males, even when the shooting is limited to specifically restricted areas, since there appears to be a tendency to attract males from adjacent conservation areas into the territory where shooting is permitted once those present have been killed. There have been attempts to aid lion conservation through release and reintroduction schemes, the most famous being that by George and Joy Adamson. These have done much to raise public awareness but have caused problems. The released lions are socially unsupported and tend to be inexperienced. The result is that the lions opt for easier prey such as domestic cattle. A few have even turned to being man eaters in places where this was previously unknown. Conservation schemes always have a responsibility to remember the interests of people who live in an area as well as the animals.

To return then to the European and African view of the lion, perhaps the real judgement has to be seen from the lion’s perspective. Despite their fearsome reputation and occasional true status as man eaters, in general lions tend to avoid contact with people. Whilst it is certainly true that they have to fear the European rifle most of all, fear and respect are not the same thing. Lions and the Maasai tribesmen have had to learn to occupy the same lands for countless generations. In protecting themselves and their cattle, the Maasai have had to confront and sometimes kill lions on many occasions. To do so is regarded as an act of courage and bravery. It has also earned the respect of the lions. At the first sight of a Maasai warrior or even the sound of the cow bells of the cattle they are escorting, lions will slink away into hiding in a way far more exaggerated than with any other people. The Maasai have their respect, they have earned it.

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African Lions – Panthera Leo, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania