Tree climbing lions and a flat tire

“Leopards climb trees, lions stay on the ground”, is what many safari guides will tell you. Not on the Busanga Plains, in Zambia! Our first encounter with that behavior was in 2009. We were traveling with a group of family and friends. My mother in law was still getting used to the idea of driving around wild animals in an open car. We had just been picked up from the airstrip and on the way to the camp we got a flat tire. Reluctantly she got out of the car and joked “I hope there are no lions around…”  There we were, in the middle of a wide open plain with one solitary tree, and in it, yes, a lion! We were exited about having spotted one of the famous tree climbing lions. She was not amused. A few days later we embarked on a walking safari. Tracking lions on foot was part of the deal. When I made the illustration for Phanhabs Lush Bush memories of that specific holiday were making me smile. No more safaris for my mother in law…