The lulling eyes of my beautiful Mpole. This lioness has brought us a lot of laughs over the years. Even from the time she was a young cub she was always trying to impress, but when it came to action she was always content to let others do the work. We once watched her sister ride the back of a buffalo and get swung round and round while she lay daydreaming in the grass. Always with her head in the clouds.

Nothing has ever made my heart race faster than the sight of African Wild Dogs. I have been fortunate to see them first in South Africa, then in Botswana, and now here in Zimbabwe. This was one time I did not have to search for the dogs: because this time, it was them who had found me. 

Sitting in this open area reading a book, I thought at first I was seeing things. I did not want to stand or speak so I threw my reading book at my guide. When he looked up laughing I pointed to the foothills. There they were, heading straight for us. Wild Dogs never stay, they are always moving quickly, but this was one time I got to enjoy them on my terms, not theirs.