“I am walking with a lion right now!” I screamed to Trevor, my boyfriend and fellow college student on our study abroad program. Looking shocked, cautious, and mostly in awe, he could barely answer. He managed to mumble a “this is crazy”, before bending down to carefully touch the king of the jungle.
You may think this sounds crazy, and, like Trevor said, it was.
Most people couldn’t even pronounce the country’s name when I told them where I was going. But somewhere east of Madagascar in the middle of the Indian Ocean, we found ourselves in the paradise of Mauritius. Completely surrounded by a coral reef, this tropical country is a hidden secret of African getaways. Sugar cane, volcanic mountains, and lush rainforests surround the small country, and, among all of this beauty is the Casela Nature & Leisure Park, which is home to about fifteen lions and the exciting Lion Walk which we bravely couldn’t wait to take part in.
Bumping along the rocky road in the open air vehicle on our way to our Lion Walk, I could clearly see the headlines running through my head. Rampant lion mauls two college students studying abroad of African Island.
As we climb out of the vehicle, a serious looking man greets us with a large stick in each of our hands. “You will need this.” He states plainly. “Don’t approach the lions when we’re feeding them; they can bite you. Stay in a group. Don’t shout. NEVER get in front of the lions. You don’t want them following you, that’s when you could get into trouble. And don’t crouch. They might be tempted to catch you. Cool. Let’s go,” he clasps his hands together and leads the way as everyone in the group looks at each other in fright.
Well, here goes nothing, I think, as I grasp on to my stick for dear life and shuffle through the green rainforest eagerly.
Suddenly, two lions make their way through a clearing and walk calmly straight toward us. Bigger than I ever imagined, the lions looked so majestic with every step they took.
Majestic, I reminded myself, but wild animals!
The guides introduced us to the two lions, Lundi (16 months) and Nhunzi (14 months, who were in a playful mood as they started fighting and pawing each other. The guides then held a large steak on the end of a tall stick and had the lions jump up and grab their food. Their paws were bigger than my head, and their force and focus in getting that food was incredible.
Well, hopefully they aren’t hungry anymore.
The guides then told us that we could touch the lionesses, and walk with them through the rainforest. Too excited to be scared, I bent down and pet the beautiful lion without much hesitation at all. Trevor, on the other hand, looked at me in disbelief and took his sweet time in making sure he, really, truly could trust these lions not to snap at him.
About half way through our walk, Lundi and Nhunzi decided it would be a good idea to take a play break and all of a sudden were climbing up trees and running around in all directions. It is rather frightening to lose lions in the trees, and it no longer seems like such a good idea to be laughing loudly with Trevor toward the back of the pack.
Smiling for the photographer at the end of the walk, I breathed in what I can only describe as amazement. Having just had a once-in-a-lifetime experience filled with thrill and awe, I felt like the luckiest, craziest, person in the world as I touched the lion behind its ear and smiled. I knew that I wouldn’t be telling my mom about this adventure until after we arrived safely back at home, as anything remotely like this would never be allowed back in the states. But, halfway across the world, we learned quickly that we had to let go of all westernized fear and enable the experience.
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