Relentless Enemies Page #2

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It is the trade-off that Africa must make

from time to time.

Under the lions' inescapable surveillance,

it is a constant effort just to survive.

So each precious life

that slips into existence

in this game of life and death

is a victory against the sentinels

that scan the bushes

for any sign of opportunity.

Every delicate first step silently bolsters

the herd against their decline

under the relentless onslaughts they endure.

Each wobble during the agonizing hour

it takes to stabilize,

is a celebratory yell against the fates.

And each successful birth is a tiny contract

that keeps the system alive.

The synchrony of births overwhelms

the Tsaro pride with a flood of calves

that outdoes their capacity

to kill all the newborn.

They are limited to what they can eat today,

one calf at a time.

Although many are killed,

the majority of the baby buffalo survive.

As the buffalo start to move,

the lions of the Tsaro pride

feel their pangs of hunger begin to stir.

Ahead will be a fast-moving game

of life and death,

for they must know that taking on

a fully grown buffalo

with nothing but claws and teeth

has to be the most dangerous game of all.

On this unique Okavango island,

with its one herd of buffalo

and three prides of lions,

one would expect the nights to be filled

with bloodcurdling bellows.

But strangely, these lions seldom hunt

under the cover of darkness.

So nighttime is the herd's chance to

slip away to the far side of the island,

or even across the river, if they can.

The lions' diligence

has kept the herd contained

within the Tsaro territory for weeks.

While there has been a feast on this side

of the channel,

there has been a famine on the other.

The lions to the north, the Skimmer pride,

has been without food for too long,

and now their hunger

drives them through the water.

They are nowhere near the size

of the Tsaro lionesses,

but they have other skills.

Now, the Skimmer pride has to risk

making an insurgent sortie.

Just four small adult females

with 1 0 hungry and ineffectual cubs,

they have to do this stealthily.

They are taking a huge risk.

If they panic the herd too early,

the Tsaro females are bound to

hear the chase and react.

Too vigorous an attack, and the cubs

could fall underfoot of a stampede.

When a single female sees her target,

the risk increases even more.

The only option now is a frontal attack.

This is almost suicidal.

Incredibly, she fells

an adult cow buffalo unaided,

and drowns its muffled bellows in the water.

Their desperation sees off any intruders.

A hurried meal is all they can risk for now.

To the south, the big Tsaro females

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