8:54
Twenty lions stop traffic for a family photo
A game vehicle full of tourists in Kruger National Park finds the road already in use. Twenty lions are strolling down the middle of it. more
This is the Sweni Pride, also called the mega pride, and one of the most successful lion prides in the park. It has twenty members of all ages, and three males have taken charge of the rest. The male in the lead walks like he is very proud of his family.
SaveLionesses, big males, half-grown youngsters and small cubs share the road in one loose crowd. The whole pride looks well fed and healthy, and the spread of ages is the best part, from the huge male out front down to cubs small enough to need a rest.
Then the grown-ups do something kind. They stop and lie down for a while so the little ones can keep up. Nobody hurries the cubs.
SaveThe lions know the people are there, and they don't seem to care. Some of the males and lionesses stand right in the middle of the road as if posing for the tourist cameras, while the rest stretch out nearby. The scene could pass for a family portrait.
The young ones look completely at ease. With the adults around them, they rest on the road and ignore the camera clicks. The pride has the whole road blocked, though one lion lover sees it the other way around, since the lions were here long before the road.
SaveAmong the cubs are several young males of about the same age. Young male lions often leave home together as a coalition, and this bunch looks set to make a strong one someday. For now they're just part of the family, lying in the road as if they own it.

















