Tales of Africa

THE BASICS OF SIMBA

I was passing by the gate that leads to the courtyard of the house in which I lived and stopped to spend a little time chatting with the watchman. Like most guards in the Nairobi residential areas, Isaiah was a Maasai. Men from the Maasai tribe in Kenya are fierce warriors who will think nothing about taking up a job that might expose them to gun-totting thugs. A single Maasai Moran (as the warrior is called) is capable of killing a grown lion while wielding only a knife, spear or club. For that reason, criminals keep clear of any area that is being guarded by Maasai.
It is a well know fact that no Maasai is recognized as a real man until he has killed a lion. I was hence curious to get some information about lions from Isaiah.

For starters, he told me that the lion is generally a gentle animal contrary to popular belief. For example, when it is unexpectedly confronted by a human being on a footpath, it gives way and hides in the bushes. This is a common occurrence where Isaiah comes from.

Unlike antelope or zebra, human flesh is not on the instinctive menu of the lion. But of course a lion will defend itself when attacked and so if you are off to shoot one, make sure that you don't miss the shot.

What are the common instances when a lion is likely to attack a person?

1. An old lion that does not have the stamina to hunt wild animals will gladly attack an unwary human being for food.

2. A mating lion couple hates to be disrupted and will definitely attack you if you intrude.

3. A lioness that has cubs will attack if you threaten the cubs in any way.

4. A lion under attack will always defend itself.

Lion cubs are very playful. If you come across a lion family, the cubs will run after you and crowd your feet like a bunch of well-fed puppies. Usually, their mother watches warily from a distance. It would be fatal for you to try and shoo them off since that would trigger the lioness to attack you. Your aggressive gesture indicates that you pose a threat to her cubs. If you ever find yourself in such circumstances, just continue walking calmly until the cubs satisfy their initial curiosity after eagerly sniffing your feet and decide to go back to their mother.

Unfortunately, once a lion tastes human flesh, it acquires a taste for it and will henceforth hunt people. According to Isaiah, there are several parts of the human body that lions never eat;

1. The head
2. The genitals
3. The part of the hand after the wrist
4. The part of the leg after the ankle

These parts are usually left behind for the hyenas
.
Lions are also known to demonstrate some decency. If a lion kills a woman carrying a small child, it takes care of the baby until someone rescues it. Isaiah has experienced more than one occasion where a child is found alive several days after the mother disappeared. The lion will keep the child warm and protect it from other wild animals until it sees a human passing by. It will then try to grab the attention of the person in a bid to alert him or her about the child. As soon as the person notices the child, the lion goes away.

Lions are very cunning. If one chases you and you climb up a tree, it will hang around for as long as it takes for you to come down. It often pretends to have lost interest in you, by yawning loudly and then walking away. As soon as it is out of sight, it then stealthily creeps back through the bushes and waits quietly from a location where it can watch the tree. After a while, you might decide that the coast is clear and come down from the tree…then bam!

For years, the Maasai have coexisted peacefully with lions and other wild animals as they traverse the East African landscape with their domestic animals. The Maasai lead a pastoral, nomadic lifestyle. This admirable healthy respect between man and beast endures as long as the lions leave the Maasai and their cattle alone. Otherwise, the Maasai take their spears to hunt the offending lion.