@
0
3
Overview
ED_SEREN.TXT
3
3
The Land
ED_SEREN.TXT
4
8
Survival Challenges
ED_SEREN.TXT
5
10


@
1
14
Cheetah
134002P.PCX
0
0
Lion and zebra
4080_13P.PCX
0
0
Lion couple in dry season
4269_38P.PCX
0
0
Lion silhouette
4005_19P.PCX
0
0
Lions under cover
4080_19P.PCX
0
0
Lions with prey
4071_59P.PCX
0
0
Majestic lion
4000_22P.PCX
0
0
Ostrich
16071P.PCX
0
0
Presence of man
16007P.PCX
0
0
Prey nearby
4108_57P.PCX
0
0
The Serengeti
4056_18P.PCX
0
0
Trees of the Serengeti
16092P.PCX
0
0
Vulture at kill
4000_04P.PCX
0
0
Wounded lion
4268_10P.PCX
0
0



@
2
4
Cattle of the Masai
4097_29P.FLC
100
0
Hyena at the kill
4000_15P.FLC
100
0
Poachers in jeep
4269_11P.FLC
100
0
Wildebeest herd
4061_20P.FLC
100
0 
 
 
 
 
 
@ 
3 
 
# 
18
This section is designed to give  
you a look at the environment 
of the lions: the Serengeti. 
 
Discover the delicate ecological  
balance maintained within its  
boundaries, and the part the 
lion plays as one of its major  
predators. 
 
Find out about the forces which  
threaten the lion's own survival. 
 
Some of these are due to  
environmental factors such as  
unseasonable wet or dry weather,  
or natural disasters like fires. 
 
 
 
# 
17
Others are normal hazards of 
life, such as disease, or wounds  
received from fights or struggles  
with other animals. 
 
And, the final, most imposing  
threat: man. In this section, see  
how the lion copes with each of  
these -- some more successfully  
than others. 
 
In mythological times, the  
majestic, awe-inspiring lion was  
often depicted with the sun in 
the background, befitting a 
"King" of beasts. 
 
 
 
# 
5
Let us leave the lion, surveying  
what remains of  his once vast  
empire, with the sun of the  
Serengeti behind him. 
 
 
 
@ 
4 
 
 
# 
18
As part of the public policy of   
the United Republic of Tanzania,  
1/4 of its land is set aside as  
either a wildlife or forest  
preserve. 
 
The Serengeti National Park,  
which is part of this plan, is  
located in the northern part of 
the country, and boasts some of 
the most beautiful vistas and  
memorable wildlife in the world. 
 
It contains millions of animals,  
and over 500 species of birds,  
among them the African ostrich,  
which is the world's largest bird. 
 
 
 
# 
18
The local tribe, the Masai, call  
this area the Serengeti, which  
means "wide, open space." It is  
indeed just that: an im-
mense area of grassy plains on 
which trees are scarce (sometimes 
also referred to as a "savanna"), 
and pleasantly wooded grasslands 
that resemble parks. 
 
The trees include the flat-topped  
acacia, whose leaves are a  
favorite with the giraffe and the  
elephant... 
 
...and the baobab tree, which is  
prevalent along riverbeds. 
 
 
 
# 
17
Millions of hoofed animals
migrate from one area 
to another in search of food 
and water: some feed on plants, 
others on the leaves of trees 
or shrubs, while grazers focus 
their attention on the grass 
growth. 
 
The herds are followed by  
resolute predators who, in turn,  
hunt them for food. 
 
The migrating herds and their  
ever-present "escorts" follow the  
seasons. 
 
 
 
# 
17
The dry season runs from June 
to October. 
 
In May, the herds begin their 
trek from the drying plains to 
the verdant woodlands. Then, 
leaving the woodlands in Novem-
ber and December, when the rains 
begin, they return to the now- 
replenished plains. 
 
The herds remain on the plains  
for the duration of the rainy  
season, which ends in May, when  
once again they turn and head  
back to the woodlands. 
 
 
 
# 
15
At the height of  the dry season,  
the savanna is almost barren, 
due to grazing by the vast herds, 
and fires which are set inten-
tionally by local tribesmen to 
control the ecosystem. 
 
The migrating herds roam wide-
ly, feeding on what dry grasses  
remain, seeking out riverbeds or  
waterholes where foliage still  
exists, or areas where an  
occasional rainfall has  
encouraged a growth of green. 
 
 
 
# 
10
The woodlands also begin to dry  
up, and fires set there (also  
intentionally) generally destroy  
about 3/4 of  the woodlands,  
ridding the area of dry leaves 
and grass and small trees, and 
leaving in their place an ash-
rich soil which eventually aids 
in the regrowth process. 
 
 
 
# 
17
There is an ebb and flow of  life  
in the Serengeti that is reflected  
in the harmony that exists  
between the plant life, the 
seasons that alternately decimate 
and restore it, the animals who 
feed on the vegetation, the pred-
ators who help contain the enor-
mous populations of grazing 
herds, and the wily scavengers 
who efficiently "recycle" the 
remains. 
 
Each has a vital role in protect-
ing the delicate balance of life 
in the Serengeti. 
 
 
 
# 
19
The lion, and other predators, 
far from being the "villains" in 
this scenario because they kill 
and feed off the prey, are, in 
fact, guardians of the status quo. 
 
Their preying activities keep the  
number of  herbivores at an  
acceptable level, and, by gener-
ally eliminating the sick, aged, 
and weaker of the species, they 
also help ensure that the strong-
er, more adaptive animals survive. 
 
Without this vital "weeding out"  
activity, the entire cycle of life 
in the Serengeti would be  
threatened. 
 
 
 
@ 
5 
 
# 
20
The lion faces many challenges 
to its life and livelihood. 
 
The greatest threat overall is 
from man. Illegal poaching and 
hunting accounts for over 40% of 
all known lion deaths. 
 
Fights with other lions account  
for nearly 25%, with disease,  
injury by prey, and old age 
being the next primary causes. 
 
Dehydration and starvation are  
also indirect causes of death,  
occurring when lions become too  
weak or too incapacitated to 
hunt as a by-product of injuries  
received in a fight. 
 
 
 
# 
11
A lion can go for days without  
food and water, hiding out in an  
available thicket or a kopje (a  
granite outcropping) until it is  
well. 
 
Another factor which aids in the  
lion's survival is the tendency  
toward hunting communally or 
in pairs. 
 
 
 
# 
20
During good health, it provides 
a greater success rate and the  
capability of hunting larger 
prey, both of which afford the 
lion an opportunity to "gorge" 
-- to take advantage of a good 
meal and store up reserves for 
the future, while, during poor 
or vulnerable health, meals can 
be gotten "for free" from meat 
obtained from kills brought down 
by other pride or group mem-
bers. 
 
Even though the dry season of- 
fers greater hardships in find-
ing water, small puddles and  
dwindling waterholes are usually  
available. Lions also obtain  
moisture from their kills. 
 
 
 
# 
19
When it comes to acquiring the  
daily meal, the lion faces the 
dual challenge of outsmarting 
the prey it desires, and com-
peting with other predators who 
want the same prey. 
 
The lion has the advantage of 
size and strength over its prey, 
but the prey holds the advantage 
of speed. 
 
This is why lions prefer to hunt  
under available cover, mini-
mizing the odds of being detected 
before they can get close enough 
to strike and bring down the 
prey. 
 
 
 
# 
19
Most prey have some "built-in"
defenses such as horns and  
hooves which can be used to 
fend off the attacks by lions, 
and in some instances can cause 
serious injury. 
 
As if the everyday challenges of   
finding a good meal were not  
enough, the lion also has to  
contend with rivals -- other  
predators whose hunting  
techniques are sometimes more  
efficient. 
 
In the Serengeti, the lion's chief  
competitors include some of the  
fastest animals on earth. 
 
 
 
# 
16
The cheetah, for example, can  
sometimes achieve 55 miles per  
hour (or 88 kilometers per hour)  
in under 5 seconds! 
 
The hyena also captures prey by  
running it down, as does the  
leopard, the wild dog, and the  
jackal. 
 
Their speedy approach, as  
opposed to that of the lion's  
stalk and rush, often deprives 
the lion of a much desired, and  
needed, meal. 
 
 
 
# 
16
In addition to taking kills away  
from lions, each of  them also  
attempts to scavenge the same  
kills as lions. 
 
The lion is a prodigious  
scavenger as well, watching the  
sky for circling vultures to lead  
the way to fresh kills, sick, or  
undernourished animals. 
 
This is sometimes a mixed  
blessing, since diseases can be  
transmitted to the lion through  
wounds in the mouth. 
 
 
 
# 
18
Ticks and other parasites can 
also be picked up from dead 
animals. 
 
And the lion must be on guard  
against his fellow lions, as 
battles between each other can 
be deadly. 
 
But, man is by far the most  
dangerous predator. 
 
Trophy hunters and poachers  
who enter the Park in search of  
ivory, hides, or heads frequently  
snag lions in their snares, or  
shoot them outright. 
 
 
 
# 
20
The lion's only defense against  
this kind of man is to see him 
first and run. 
 
Other threats from man come  
from within the Park. 
 
Permanent settlements of Masai  
tribes in the south and in the  
north pose two kinds of  
problems. 
 
Their cattle, which were once  
nomadic and moved along with  
the tribes, now remain in a fixed  
site and lands tend to become  
overgrazed, requiring additional  
land to take care of the feeding  
needs of the cattle. 
 
 
 
# 
16
The village people hunt the lion  
because they fear attack on their  
cattle. 
 
Also, during the dry season, fires  
set by villagers to facilitate re- 
foliation can unexpectedly trap  
unwary lions. 
 
Yet, despite all these ongoing 
and formidable obstacles, the 
lion population in the Serengeti   
remains stable -- a testament to  
the lion's ability to survive and 
to retain the undisputed title of 
"The King of Beasts."
