Tree climbing lions : The Lion commonly known as the king of the jungle is the fiercest animal in the wild. It has the scariest roar and it’s a predator to almost all other jungle species. The lion hangs in prides made up of a leading male and other members females and cubs. It’s a cat that is active in the night and resting during the day.
The lion is popular because of its fierceness and mighty but in recent days the lion’s popularity has been enhanced by the new category of lions, the tree climbing lions.
The tree climbing lions are like the other lions in every aspect; the only added feature is that they can climb trees.
Lions are known to be ground animals and would only be under trees for shade and to monitor their prey. It’s the reason why it is very strange for lions to climb trees. What makes it more unique is that the tree climbing lions are also only for in East Africa for now. The most common tree climbing lions being found in the Ishasha region of Queen Elizabeth National Park. Others are found in Lake Manyara National Park of Tanzania.
They are said to climb tree to avoid irritations by insects and bugs on the ground and to get away for the direct hit that strikes them on the ground. Also on tree branches they have a better view of the surrounding and most especially their prey.
These unique lions will spend most of their day time up on tree branches and the night time on the ground. In colder and rainy seasons though, the lions spend more time on the ground just like the normal lions.
The tree-climbing lions’ tree climbing skills are regarded as a behavioral adaptation that they have mastered over time and are now passing them on to others and hence a new breed of lions is emerging and will soon be categories as a sub species of its own.
For now there isn’t a lot of data to support the tree climbing behavior but wildlife researchers are definitely at it figuring out the nitty gritties of this unique behavior. However as you wait for researchers to be done with their studies you can in the meantime witness these rare and interesting lions in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda.
Queen Elizabeth National Park is home to a sizeable number of tree climbing lions about 50 – 60 individuals and the number keeps growing. You can find these animals in the Ishasha region of the park where there is a density of acacia trees.
But to spot these lions you need to use the tracking device because of course these lions are normally quite elusive now with the tree climbing abilities they can hide even the more; given the color of their skin is close to the color of the tree branches.
So when you are going to queen Elizabeth National Park for the tree climbing lions make sure you have signed up to the lion tracking experience. It’s the only way you will spot the lions and enjoy the experience. The lions can be tracked all year round and the experience is best in the dry seasons.
The tree climbing lion experience has an extra cost to it on your game park fees that you should consider before you go ahead. The good thing the experience can be done together with other activities like nature escapades, bird watching and vegetation tours; hence you can shoot many birds with one stone.
