The Topi Are Coming

Masai Mara National Reserve

The Kenyan Savannah is a flat, rolling grassland with a few trees scattered about. Now this is excellent for setting shots up cause you can predict the movement of animals. It’s horrible for variety. I have to thank it though, cause it taught me the power of portraits in the creation of variety. I learnt that I need to be just as patient here as in the Indian jungle cause animals will move when they will and just cause he’s in front of you doesn’t mean that you have a shot . . . . yet.

We saw Him a while away. I had been in the Mara for a few days by then and had seen a couple of lions but when David, our driver said “Lion ! Lion !” and started slowing down, I did not expect the golden battle tank that was headed straight at us. He was far but I could still tell that this guy was big and man, he was gorgeous.

As he got closer, the thing that struck me most was that this guy’s head was HUGE. Male Tigers are bulky and muscular all around. With lions, it’s the head, mane, face and jaw that stand out when they move. So, we did the safari dance where we’d get ahead and he’d catch up. We had him to ourselves and like all Mara animals, he didn’t care. He was used to this dance. He gave us normal eye contact while he went about his business and not a distasteful look (or intentional no look) you get from some older tigers in “tourism zones” of tiger parks in India. When we finally parted ways, I was super stoked about my cache of golden lion photos that I had just earned.

We had apparently run into Osapuk. One of the three male lions in a coalition called “The Salas Boys” who are presently at the head of the Topi Pride, a 30 lion strong pride and one of the largest in Masai Mara. 

The next day, there was a buzz around camp. We were told that we were going to get a different vehicle for the following day, with an off-road permit. One sentence from admin spread excitement among the guests and staff:

“The Topi Are Coming”