King of the Jungle: An African Safari Awakening 🌍🦁📸
Join Margie on a breathtaking journey through Southern Africa, where majestic lions, powerful stories, and a call to protect the wild come together in her unforgettable first chapter.
Today, I’m thrilled to welcome back Margie Carpenter—fellow adventurer, inspiring storyteller, and my incredible Mom—as she shares another adventure: her life-changing journey to Africa.
Many of you loved Margie’s first story about her European river cruise (if you missed it, you can read it here).
In this new series, Margie will share the moments, people, and discoveries that are shaping her experience as she begins a new life in Africa.
June 5, 2025: Chapter 1, King of the Jungle
I just returned from an incredible African safari adventure! Visiting four countries in Southern Africa: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa.
I discovered a rich history, fascinating culture, and the captivating beauty of Africa. I was immersed in an extraordinary amount of learning and discovery! Of course, the animals were the highlight of the experience!
The lion is the ‘king of the jungle” due to their strength and majestic appearance! They are large, powerful cats. On average, the males weigh about 420 pounds and the females 280 pounds. Lions can eat up to 90 pounds of meat in a single meal - around one quarter of their body weight!
Young lions have spots on their sandy coats, but they disappear as they mature. The older the males get, the more impressive their manes grow.
Lions live together in a “pride,” unlike other wild cats, for instance, leopards and cheetahs, who live alone. A pride of lions is made up of one large male, small males who defend their pride, related female, and their cubs. The lionesses rear their cubs together, and the cubs can suckle from any female with milk. Lions are the only cats that roar together, with even young cubs joining in. The pride often roars together to mark their territory and can be heard from five miles away!
There are thought to be as few as 23,000 lions left in the wild. Lion numbers are incredibly low when you compare them to around 45,000 wild elephants. Unfortunately, lions have vanished from over 90% of their original range. Their numbers have decreased by over 40% in the last three generations.
I am so thankful to have been so fortunate to have seen them in the wild before they disappear!
Let’s protect these incredible animals before their silence becomes permanent.
