Brothers

2019

Image Story

"These guys are not the creatures we always make them out to be."

Despite their perhaps ferocious reputation, displays of affection between lions are common place. By far the most social of all the big cats, lions live in prides of related females, any cubs they may have, and are run by a coalition of males. These males, while usually related to each other, are not related to the females.

I use the term ‘run’ loosely. In fact, it is the females that lead the way in terms of hunting and providing for the pride, but of course when push comes to shove and a territorial dispute breaks out, it is often the males fighting for the protection of the pride.

These two males, known as ‘Chongo’ (Swahili for ‘one eye’) and Koshoke (‘the one with the big belly’), make up part of a coalition of five males in the Masai Mara, Kenya. Between them they ran a pride known as The Marsh Pride, for a number of years, with their territory surrounding the camp I work at; Governors’.

We often found the boys with each other but away from the pride, so on this particular morning it was a real treat to find these two with the rest of the pride. They were clearly enjoying the company of each other but also the young cubs they were in someway related to, perhaps uncles or even father to.

There are not many better ways to spend a morning in the Mara than in the company of such resplendent animals.

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Behind the Lens

I have arguably spent more time with lions in the dark than I have the daylight. So much of what they do takes place after the sun goes down - I begrudge them this as a photographer - the shots I could have got if they behaved in the day as they did at night are endless.