A Lesson in Manners

Do you remember that story Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? I don't remember all the details, but I am thinking about the part where all the kids are on a tour of the factory but aren’t supposed to sample the candy. That's me right now! Everyone on the crew went home to their families for a week off. The crew gets a break and the lions get a break. I stayed. However, my only rule is that I have to let the lions have their break. I'm not allowed to go and see them. How hard is that? I hate it.

All this week I have been spending walking around Erindi, exploring and thinking about the lions. I have had tons of time to figure out my plan, and am going to let you in on it. I have spent most of my time up till now trying to figure how these cats react to different situations and basically profiling each cat’s personality. I have a good sense of which situations are good for walking with the cats and which are dangerous. The cubs are the most dangerous factor in my decision-making, as this family is VERY protective of the little ones. Food is also a bit of a danger factor, but not too bad, and a mating pair is something I haven't been able to walk with yet. For now, I will assume it's dangerous.

The cats to watch for are the dominant ones. Cleopatra is the No. 1 problem child. She is the boss of everyone. You would think it's the dominant males, but in this case they are just the muscle, not the brains. If she says, let’s go eat that Dave guy, the whole pride will come. I think the worst situation will be if Cleo tries to get both Brutus and Otis (above) to come and attack me. They will come, and it will be serious. I promised a close friend at Animal Planet that I won’t get hurt. I can't let Cleopatra, Brutus or Otis make me a liar.

My plan for now is to focus on Cleo and the big boys. If they are my friends, the rest of the pride will accept me. I'm going to teach them that charging is not polite! I need to show them that a growl will be sufficient in explaining that they are unhappy. I will do that by rewarding a growl and not a charge. If I get growled at, then I will give them what they want. I will leave. This will reward her for verbally communicating to me that she is unhappy and explain that she is in charge of when I am with the pride. This will gain her trust and eventually acceptance. If she charges, she will not get what she wants. I will try to push the boundaries with her to tell her that she is acting like a ... well, nevermind, it's not polite.

If I have the nerve and she is charging a lot, I will try to submit to some of her charges. I will do that to show her that I am not a threat. I believe her main reason for charging is to protect her cubs. I think she is a good mother doing her job. So when she charges I need to show her I'm not a threat, but I’m also not going to be pushed around by a lion with bad manners.

As for the boys, I will also have to show them that I am not a threat. I will try to be very submissive to them. I want to not face them and to stay as low as I can. They are very curious, so I want to just let them watch me for a while. If they get aggressive with me at first, I need to let them back me down to get their trust. But if they lose their fear of me, I will then begin to stand up to them a bit when they get aggressive. This tactic will allow me to stay safe in the latter part of our relationship. They will eventually want to test their boundaries with me. That is when I will have to very clearly let them know that I am not to be messed with.

Hold on to your cubs, you guys. I'm coming to play!

Comments

[Kim]

I love to read about what you are doing and I know that you are experienced and smart when it comes to the animal behavoir, but it still makes me nervous. Glad to see you are good so far. Good luck!

[Danielle Ledesma]

All I have to say is will you please name a lion after me & tahli?? :-)

[monica]

This sounds pretty BOLD! But then again looking who I am talking about...be safe.