Big Game Shooting, volume 1 (of 2)Phillipps-Wolley, Clive
General
Big Game Shooting, volume 1 (of 2)
Phillipps-Wolley, Clive
Game and game-birds; Hunting
Only two cases of lions charging after being wounded and followed up
have come under my notice. The first happened to Sir Robert Harvey when
following up a wounded lioness. This beast, which he failed to stop
as it came at him, jumped clean over him as he bobbed down to see the
result of his shot under the smoke, but fortunately missed him, and he
killed it with his second barrel.
The above instances of lions proving at all aggressive are, I think,
quite exceptional, and at all events form a very small percentage,
considering the great number of lions in the country, the fair number
that have been killed, and the still greater number that have been
wounded and got away, and I am inclined to think that both the boldness
and pluck of East African lions compare very poorly with those of
South Africa and the Somali country. Even when wounded, I have found
them anything but plucky or savage beasts. Three out of the four lions
I have myself bagged, and three others which got away wounded, never
attempted to charge, although they were all followed up into bush where
it was impossible to see them until fairly close, and in each instance
they could see me some time before I could see them, but they merely
lay and snarled, or slunk away altogether.
Lions in East Africa, when found near the coast, which is mostly thick
bush country, are for the most part maneless, or nearly so. I have
heard it suggested that the thick bush has something to do with this,
as the long hairs of the mane get pulled out and worn away, and it is
quite possible that this may be so, for the buffaloes on the coast are
also very scantily covered with hair, and are of a dull slate colour
from the skin showing through. In the Masai country lions have very
often splendid manes, and the buffaloes, even the old bulls, are well
covered with hair. This, however, may be accounted for more reasonably
by the great difference in the temperature than by the more open nature
of the country, the air of the higher altitudes being bracing and cool,
not to say cold, whilst that on the coast is moist and muggy. Lions
with both dark and light coloured manes are found in East Africa, those
found north of Machako’s being darker as a rule than those further
south.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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