What about Bob?

My whole life I had wanted to come to the Serengeti…I thought this is where all the animals of Africa lived. Honestly I was surprised to learn of the existence of other game parks…I just thought that all the animals would live in the Serengeti. This naivety is why I viewed the Serengeti as the holy grail of game parks. In the days before my visit I started to fret that I had placed it on too high of a pinnacle virtually guaranteeing myself disappointment – not to be.

I enjoyed a few amazing days in this park and was content with my experiences but bizarrely missing this place that I barely knew as we pulled out our final morning. The only animal missing from my personal complete viewing experience was the cheetah – oddly enough I wasn’t dissatisfied, I just viewed it as an excuse to return.

There was general melancholy in our vehicle as we watch the endless plains (the Swahili name for endless plains is Serengeti) slip by…our final goodbyes were interrupted when Fred suddenly veered the vehicle down a bumpy path and abruptly halted. I was gazing out one side of the vehicle, Leila out the other desperately trying to figure out what all the fuss was about. We were gazing too far, scanning the horizon – the object of attention was in the tall grass right next to the road…a cheetah and her three cubs.

There are many adorable sights in the world…little babies, Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black, bunnies - but it turns out that the cutest thing in the world is…baby cheetah cubs with blood on their faces. We sat memorized watching the cubs eating their breakfast of Thompson gazelle while mom kept watch. Fred explained that mom was behaving this way because she could sense danger; it took a few minutes before we found the source of her apprehension…just a few hundred yards away a small group of lionesses were reclining in the tall savannah grass.

The cubs, adults in training, would take turns – one or two eating while the others stood guard with mom. Perhaps the most comical part of all of this was a lone, still alive, Thompson gazelle wandering nearby; searching for what I suspect was the breakfast dish. Leila narrated his internal thoughts for us; “Bob! Bob! Has anyone seen Bob? I swear he was just here a minute ago”. We were deep in peals of laughter and empathy for Bob’s gazelle buddy when unexpectedly Mom cheetah whipped around, haunches up.

Assuming that the lions were in motion, we scanned the plains only to see the now familiar site common for the large cats of the Serengeti – napping. Mommy cheetah’s apprehension was explained when a new player exploded into the game…a hyena. I distinctly remember gasping as my breathing ceased; I worried that there was going to be some sort of cheetah – hyena rumble. The thought of something happening to one of those little cubs…I don’t think I could have stayed in the jeep. I meddle in so many areas of life where I should leave well enough alone, why not the circle of life in the Serengeti too? It turns out that my overbearing personality was not needed – cheetahs recognizing that they are natural prey for hyenas swiftly exited the proverbial stage before us. One minute they were deep in the gazelle buffet, next they were across the field giving the stink eye to the hyena that was now making off with ‘Bob’. (Yes – to keep you updated, the other lone gazelle was still wandering around in the background, head moving from side to side – it looked like he may be searching in a grid pattern).

My jeep mates and I sat there, stunned at the rapid turn of events before us. The Serengeti morning quiet was only broken by the screeching sound of the scavenger birds swooping down to snack on leftover bits of Bob.

The next action I felt before I heard or saw…the best way I can describe it…think back to when you are sitting at a traffic light next to one of those low-riding cars driven by someone you wouldn’t want to run into in an alley. The low, reverberating base noise that makes your chest feel funny…that was feeling in me. My ears were the next sense to be effected…I heard a pounding noise that seemed to be coming at me from all directions. I had no idea what the racket was but I instinctively knew to be petrified.

My brain slowly processed the words of Brian’s eager shouts “the lions are coming” with the image of a small pride of lionesses thundering past our jeep. Unlike the cheetahs who silently slipped away, the presence of the lions was designed to terrify – and it worked. I immediately feared for our searcher gazelle but the target of this female aggression was the recycled remains of ‘Bob’.

Not wanting, and rightfully so, to face a famished female, the hyena dropped ‘Bob’ and turned tail – just as the cheetahs did to him. The ultimate victors – it was the lions that enjoyed their spot at the top of the food chain that morning, gorging themselves on what was left of breakfast ‘Bob’.

Never in his 8 years as a Serengeti guide has Fred seen so much action over one gazelle. We were truly privileged to have a front row seat for this amazing “circle of life” recital. I can’t help but wonder how long our lone gazelle kept his search up? I wonder if he ever got the answer to “what about Bob?” Mostly I wonder if he became lunch…