WAYS OF THE LION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2340, 11 October 1921, Page 4

WAYS OF THE LION.

HIS FAVOURITE DIET,

KILLS FOR FOOD ONLY,

For many thousands of years lions have appeared in literature and art as savage and ferocious animals. For about that length of time man has been attacking lions, and when the lions fought back man has set down this judgment agninst them. At the same time, with the criticism of his savagery, man has put in all hi.s records testimony to the courage, strength and fighting qualities of what has been called through the ages the King of Beasts. The lion’s savagery is very much the same as man’s—that is, he kills other animals for food, and not. having developed any specialised industries like the packers, each lion kills for himself. His day’s work, instead of getting money to buv food, consists chiefly in getting food, and he goes about it somewhat in this manner.

About- dusk lie comes out from his resting place, yawns, stretches, and looks about for something to eat. In East Africa his favourite diet is zebra, but he likes any of the game animals, and he prefers the larger animals to the smaller antelope because the larger ones are easier to catch. His intention is to get his food the easiest and quickest way, writes Carl Akeley in World’s Work.

He goes out on the plains, and by scent, sight and hearing locates a herd of zebra, for example. He then gets down wind from what ho hopes will be his next meal, and stalks to within rushing distance. He can outrun a zebra for a short distance, and when within striking distance lie makes a sudden dash. I think that the zebra is thrown by the lion’s spring and then killed by a. bite in the back of the neck, and this impression is from deduction, and not from observation. I have seen a lot of animals that lions had killed, but I never saw a lion in the act of killing. In fact, the methods which lions use in hunting are not known in detail from observation, for not enough instances have ever been recorded to make the basis for any general statement which could be considered scientifically accurate.

When he has captured his animal, the lion will eat and then lie near it, perhaps all night, perhaps all next day, if he is not disturbed, eating as he desires. If he leaves his supplies, the packals, hyenas and vulturs will clean it up immediately, and as the lion kills for food, and not for sport or the pleasure of killing, lie is content with one kill as long as the meat lasts. Lion hunters are not agreed about how much lions depend on sight, on sound and on smell. It is not altogether easy to tell how soon they know the presence of man or of other animals, for they do not always show what they know. For instance, I once had the startling experience of getting within 3ft. of a lioness before she moved. She, of course, knew I was there long before I got that close, and yet until T almost stepped on her she made no sign. There is, however, no question that the lion his a sharp, far sight in the daytime, and from the size of tlie pupil and his nocturnal habits of hunting, I think lie has unusually keen sight at night. While many things about the lion’s habits are controversial, t think thiil practically everyone who has had experience with them will agree that they are not savage in I lie same sense of killing for the mere sake of killing. There are a few isolated eases which seem to conflict with this statement, but the great mass of testimony confirms it.

The usual man-eater is an old lion who in the season of scattered game finds it impossible with his failing strength and speed to catch animals for food. To keep from starving he attacks (he native flocks and herds, or the natives themselves.