SIMBA

“This is as fine a specimen of a lion as you’ll see, lean and fit with a great shaggy mane and absolutely in the prime of his life. I am often asked how close I get to these animals and the answer is about ten yards . . . in a vehicle, of course. If I were on foot, he would never let me approach so close; either he would have turned tail and run, the most likely reaction, or he would have flattened himself in that rich red-oat grass and made it very plain that I should come no closer. But a vehicle to a lion is like an inanimate object posing no threat and therefore to be treated with utter disdain even when excited, chattering, camera-clicking humans are craning their necks out of every window and roof hatch.

“Usually when a vehicle approaches, the lion will flop down in the grass, feigning total boredom and go to sleep. However, certain noises will galvanize him into action, bringing him leaping to his feet fully alert and ready to deal with any situation. The trick is to know the noises and anything involving food or sex is a guaranteed winner. I am not much good at the mating call of the lioness, but there are all manner of subtle sounds which would suggest to a large, arrogant, idle lion that someone else might have killed something worth investigating.”