The Gorilla Nanny

By G. Chambers Bowers

In 2050, man’s neglect of his environment, and his preoccupation with digital technology has led to social chaos, civil war, and the mass extinction of wild animals. Smart-phones, occupy the average person’s focus to the point of obsession, and people are no longer trusted to operate an automobile, and the responsibility is completely turned over to autonomous smart-cars, which blaze the trail to the acceptance of autonomous androids for use in the home and workplace.

James Dodd becomes one of the richest men in the world, responsible for creating the android known as the Synthetic Artificial Man, capable of doing anything people can do, only faster and better. The manufacturing, and selling of the S.A.M. Units, put millions of people out of work, and Dodd is forced into hiding by extremist’s threats of death and violence.

Jeffrey Action has spent his entire life protecting the last lion prides, and animals of the Serengeti Plain, of Tanzania. But the illicit practices of poachers, force Jeffrey to refocus his efforts to save lions, away from Africa to the High Valley Pass Zoo, in Colorado.

Jeffrey working along side Dr. Champion, the Executive Head Zoo Keeper, and Dr. Elizabeth Care, the Chief of Veterinary Medicine, also known as the 'Doc', together raise the High Valley Pass Zoo to a pinnacle of success, maintaining animal species now extinct in the wild in the year 2050.

Big Boy, the alpha silver back to the last remaining mountain gorilla troop, is held in captivity at the High Valley Pass Zoo, along with his family. Trained by the Doc, Big Boy and his troop are capable of sign language, and can communicate with people, and each other. The gorillas along with all the other zoo animals are the top priority for the three zookeepers, as civil war threatens the entire zoo population of animals, and in some cases the last remaining individuals of an entire species.

Dr. Champion, Jeffrey, and the Doc, must choose between the lives of the zoo animals, Big Boy’s gorilla troop, and their careers and conscious, as violence spreads towards the city of High Valley Pass, Colorado. Evacuations of the city will leave no staff to care for the zoo animals, which will be left behind to die of neglect, starvation, and the ravages of war, unless the Zoo Board of Directors comes up with a plan.

Dr. Champion, Jeffrey, and the Doc, are not in agreement when the Zoo Board makes their final decision, and they make a difficult choice. Rather than following the Zoo Board of Director’s order to have the animals euthanized. The zookeepers conspire with zoo staff, and transport the animals north, setting them free into a large protected valley surrounded by tall mountain peaks.

Sent to federal prison for their crimes, years pass with Jeffrey, and the Doc, wondering if Big Boy’s gorilla troop survived the rugged mountain valley of North Western Colorado, with a jet fighter pilot holding the key to their questions.

The gorillas face the challenges of nature including; weather, foraging, and predators, to keep their kind surviving, when the primates discover an unexpected ally in their fight for survival.
Ironically the same digital technology that led to societies’ break down and social chaos is also responsible for the salvation of Big Boy, and his troop. Dodd unwittingly also provides humanity a second chance at survival when the worst man made disaster imaginable is realized, after which a long hidden inhabitant of the earth makes their presence known.

• Language: English
• Publisher: G. Chambers Bowers
• Release date: Dec 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310432859

G. Chambers Bowers

G. Chambers Bowers, born in Kennesaw, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta. While going to high school in Clearwater, Florida, earned High School All-American status four years in a row, & was a one time runner-up, and two time state champion swimmer. Attended vocational art school in Florida, and was hired on by ‘The Weather Channel’ in Atlanta, Georgia as a Graphic Artist. An avid outdoor enthusiast of white water kayaking, and camping in North Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee, and also enjoys flat water kayaking in the swamps of South Carolina, and Florida. Enjoys creating laser etched photographic designs in polished black marble using a CO2 laser, and writing fiction. An animal lover with four dogs, and always fascinated with the drama surrounding predator and prey.

Book preview

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Mahatma Gandhi

Flight 2020 for Boston now boarding. Came the call over the public address system in a pleasant, synthetic woman’s voice. Look our flight number matches the year. Said the teenage boy, who had been standing in line next to the pretty, young, high school freshman girl for fifteen minutes. Not once did the boy look up from his smart-phone, trying to work up the courage to finally speak. The corny comparison of the flight number to year was all he could come up with as a clever icebreaker to start a conversation.

Elizabeth smiled at the boy, and then noticed every person in line was looking at his or her hand held device. Her grandfather talked to Elizabeth about the days before those dreadful devices had been created, when people would look around at the world surrounding them. You would make conversation with strangers standing in line with you, just as a way to pass the time. He told her.

It was true, twenty-one years into the 21st Century, and modern man is obsessed with the miniaturization, and the instant availability of digital intelligence, and information. The development of the smart-phone led to smart-glasses, and even smart-cars, because the average person could no longer be trusted to focus on the singular task of driving, without attending to their personalized communication devices. Digital abuse was added to the list of diseases right along with drug abuse, over eating, and alcoholism. Even rehabilitation clinics for drugs, alcohol, and eating disorders, now include separate digital abuse treatment programs.

20/20, ironically, was also the measurement attributed to a person’s clear vision, but for the planet’s population, when it came to a vision of their world in the year 2020, the planet had never been more out of focus, and the average person rarely looked up long enough from their hand held device’s screen to take notice.

Elizabeth was anything but average. She thrived on studying the natural world. She came to Atlanta to study primates, but gorillas fascinated her beyond all other fauna. An essay on the communications of the gorillas of Rwanda got her noticed by a PhD college professor for her insight, and actually motivated the professor to investigate the gorillas of Rwanda for himself. He offered her an internship at the Atlanta Zoo, working with the gorillas, studying sign language.

The year 2020 also saw the introduction of the first commercial androids. Computerized machines that resembled actual human beings where beginning to hit the market. People having already turned much of their driving responsibilities over to autonomous smart-cars, took little convincing to accept an autonomous artificial person into their home to do their cooking, cleaning, and other household chores. Of course another added benefit of having an android was more time to focus on their personal communications devices.

In 2020 Elizabeth’s school taught climate change was a fact. No longer a disputed theory used as a political ping-pong ball, global warming was affecting the climate in unanticipated ways. Animal populations where under great stress, but with man’s great lust to coral digital information, his attentions where diverted from the environment.

Animal species where going extinct at an increasingly alarming rate. The animal kingdom, and its habitat, was being exploited, and decimated beyond repair. The striped tiger no longer prowled the wild jungles, and mountains of Asia. The only tigers left were in zoos, and in the private collections of circuses, and entertainers, who exploit the animals for profit.

Hunting safaris in Africa are joy rides, competing for the dollars of super rich tourists, who find pleasure shooting ‘farm raised wild animals’ held within confined spaces, with no chance of escape. Only a precious few wild lion prides still stalk the plains of the Serengeti Plain of Tanzania. The majestic lions are collected by poachers, and bred for slaughter, by so called game reserves, to give rich patrons the chance to hunt the big cat, and then mount it’s head over their fire place, or to lay a lion skin rug on the floor of their lavish dens.

The African elephant is also gone. Their beautiful ivory tusks where valued to highly in a lop-sided economy, were the rich could satisfy their extravagant tastes, and the poor had no alternative sources of income, except to take advantage of local animal populations. It made for recipe of disaster for the largest of land animals. Along with the rhino, and hippo, only a few of the majestic creatures were still living, held in zoos, circuses and a few legitimate game reserves.

The great migrating herds of Africa have gone the way of the North American Bison. Hunted and corralled, their migration paths blocked by major highways, the herd animals are added to the extinction list species after species.

The Great Serengeti Plain is slowly turned over, piece by piece to large corporations making profits growing food. The once vast territory of the African lion, and countless other species, are plowed up, fertilized and irrigated to grow fields of corn, wheat, and soybeans to feed an already over populated world of ten billion people, and growing.

Africa, once referred to as the ‘Dark Continent’ is now a metaphor held in trust by the marketing departments of huge theme parks, and tourist attractions, creating billboards, with exciting wild animal illustrations posted high in the air along the ‘dark continent’s’ new interstate highway systems. The atrocities against animals are not limited to Africa and Asia. Animals all over the world, are being exploited, and moved out of their natural homes, being pushed to the brink of extinction for profit and pleasure.

The sleek passenger jet lifted off the runway of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta headed for Boston. Elizabeth sat quietly in the window seat. She turned, and smiled as the teenage boy took the empty seat next to her. He couldn’t believe his luck getting a seat next to the pretty high school freshman girl, which he had all but neglected to speak to while standing in line next to her for over fifteen minutes.

2024. Said Elizabeth, to the boy sitting next to her on the flight from Atlanta to Boston. That’s the year I graduate high school. She continued, And I’m already doing an internship. I wrote and essay on primate communications, and won an award, then a college professor read it, and recommended me to work a summer internship on his gorilla study program, at the Atlanta zoo. Go figure! It’s been a great summer, and now I’m heading home. Then back to prep school in New England. He’s already invited me back for next year. Said Elizabeth. Wow, congratulations. I like to skate board myself, I’ve even been in a couple of competitions. Said the boy. Oh, that’s interesting. Said Elizabeth, trying hard to sound interested. Oh look the movie is starting, I think it’s the new ‘Planet of the Apes’ movie. Let’s watch. Said Elizabeth thinking, Cute but no brains."

Thomas Action was a Game Warden at Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. His fifteen-year-old son Jeffrey, who went with him everywhere, preferred actual life to school. Today Thomas had a surprise for Jeffrey; Ukuu the alpha of a lion pride, who’s territory was not far from where Jeffrey, and his Pop lived in a simple house, just outside of town, had a new cub. Kani, Ukuu’s mate had just given birth to a single male lion, which needs a name, Thomas told Jeffrey.

As Jeffrey looked through the binoculars at the cub, as he said Yuma. Let’s name him Yuma. Where did you come up with that name? Asked his father. It’s an Indian tribe’s name from Arizona. Maybe, I’ll go there one day. Said Jeffrey. He had always wanted to visit the United States, and though he didn’t attend school, he probably new more about geography, and nature than most college professors, and he always had a strong desire to learn. Not from some book, but by going there, and experiencing life. His father agreed that his boy was not missing out on anything by not attending school. What Jeffrey was learning, no school could teach.

Jeffrey and his father watched the cub for hours, until Thomas said he had to attend to some other duties on the other side of his territory. He dropped Jeffery off at home, explaining it wouldn’t be interesting for the boy, just a routine patrol, and that he would be home for dinner.

Hours passed until there was a knock on the door, Jeffrey was pleased to see his friend Harry, one of Thomas’s deputies. Jeffrey quickly noticed Harry had tears in his eyes. On his patrol, Thomas surprised a group of poachers, hunting lions. Jeffrey, your father is dead, he fell in the line of duty. Harry informed Jeffrey, unable to find the words needed to spare the boy pain. Harry went on to explain how it happened but Jeffrey didn’t hear anything, after being informed his father was dead, except for the word ‘poachers.’

Thomas Action was buried on the top of a hill, where he could look out over his beloved Serengeti Plain. Dr. Champion attended his old friend’s funeral. Champion was working in Rwanda, trying to arrange security for the last two known troops of wild mountain gorillas.

Jeffrey told Dr. Champion he wasn’t ready to leave Tanzania. He had work to do, things his father would have wanted him to do. Dr. Champion assured Jeffrey he could stay as long as he wanted, and if he needed anything, anything at all, that he knew where to find him.

After the funeral Dr. Champion returned to Rwanda, to continue watching over the gorillas, that surprisingly a young schoolgirl from New England had inspired him to investigate when she wrote an essay on primate communications. A colleague had dropped the essay on his desk, and recommended he read it over. Because of the paper, Champion visited Rwanda, and the gorillas. When he realized the reality of gorilla’s plight he vowed to protect the primates any way he could.

He offered the young girl a summer internship with a group he mentored at the Atlanta zoo, training gorillas in sign language. He stayed in touch as she got her Bachelors degree, then her Masters, up until she was almost finished with her Doctorate in Veterinary medicine.

Dr. Champion also monitored Jeffrey as he spent his next ten years on the Serengeti Plain, watching over Ukuu, and Yuma and their lion pride. Jeffrey learned about wild animals from every available source, native tribesmen, game wardens and other conservationists. But the majority of his education came from countless days spent out on the Serengeti Plain watching over the lions and all the animals that lived out on the plain.

King Ukuu & Yuma- Chapter – 2

The young male lion cub Yuma was a single birth. He was bigger than most cubs his age. His father was the Old King Ukuu. Yuma’s older brothers, sisters and cousins formed an entourage surrounding Old King Ukuu, and the young lion cub led a carefree life, protected by the largest predators on the Serengeti Plain.

Yuma loved to play fight with his fellow cubs, and was the leader when it came to play time. He was also the first to step forward when danger arrived in the form of a hunting hyena that intruded upon the young lion cub’s game. The lion cubs immediately formed a semi-circle, defending themselves on all sides, facing the hungry scavenger.

The hyena was looking for a quick meal, and lion cub was as good as any. The female hyena was totally caught off guard when the young lion Yuma, half her size, lunged, biting down on her neck. The fight exploded between Yuma and the scavenger, as Yuma was slung all around, but would not release the hyena’s neck.

The air filled with snarls, and growls, soon attracting the attention of several other hyenas, that quickly moved in, and then surrounded the group of lion cubs. As the fight raged, the lionesses, tasked with watching the cubs, charged in dispersing the hyenas.

As the lionesses turned their attention back to the last remaining hyena, young Yuma, already stood proudly over his kill. The dead hyena soon became a game to the other lion cubs, which spent the rest of their day, play attacking, chewing, and rolling on the beast, excited having never been so close to an actual hyena.

As the sun neared the horizon Old King Ukuu, and his entourage, approached the pride. Upon their arrival the Old King noticed an unwelcome scent in the air, and became concerned. Everything seemed calm with the pride, but the distinct smell of hyena filled the air.

The Old King was soon lead by his Matriarch Kani to the hyena kill. Ukuu stood, studying the carcass, as the male lion cub Yuma was brought before him. Cuts, and claw marks on the lion cub told the story, and the Old King Ukuu stood before the lion cub proudly.

This could have easily been a sad occasion with the loss of a cub, but the young male lion defended his fellow cubs, risking his life for his pride. Old King Ukuu privately wondered if he was gazing upon the next leader of the pride, and playfully wrestled with his youngest male son, affectionately showing his approval.

From a distance, and hidden under a bush, the female hyena Janga watched the playful exchange between Old King Ukuu and the lion cub Yuma. As Janga lay hidden, rage filled her heart. She was the first-born daughter of the hyena clan’s Matriarch. The hyena that had been killed, by the lion cub, was her first-born daughter, granddaughter to the clan’s Matriarch. Janga would not forget the lion cub Yuma.

As the weeks passed, Yuma was ushered into Old King Ukuu’s entourage for his actions. Still too young for the job, the Old King had high hopes for his youngest born son, and wanted his training to begin immediately. The young lion cub had the right attitude, and his physical size would soon catch up to the importance of his duties. His older brothers shared in the admiration of Ukuu’s youngest son, also being their younger brother. The young lion would receive the benefit of the Old King’s experience, also benefiting from his older brother’s knowledge. Several of the cubs the young lion fought to protect where the cubs of his older brothers.

The Old King’s entourage mainly provided security for the lionesses’ hunts. The male lions would linger on the outskirts of the hunt, making sure no interference came from hyena clans, rogue lions or leopards. If a particularly powerful prey such as a cape buffalo needed a final bite to end the take down, the male lions would then assist in the kill.

Sometimes the Old King would go along on escorts; sometimes he would stay back to protect the pride. Akata was the oldest, and Guga the second born son, both bigger and stronger than the Old King, but neither matched his experience in leadership, but both Akata and Guga where capable of escorting the lionesses.

The seasons came and went, and the young male cub Yuma, became almost indistinguishable in size from his older brothers, Akata and Guga. He had proved himself multiple times on hunts and in battles. The Old King having built his entourage into a formidable force took advantage of opportunities to stay back with the pride, letting his three sons escort the lionesses’ hunts. Ukuu’s years were beginning to catch up to the old lion, and relaxing under a shady tree with his grand cubs was more appealing than taking down a cape buffalo.

One evening, after the lionesses left for their hunt, the Old King decided he would join the escort. He moved out with Akata and Guga and his now grown youngest son Yuma, at his side.

As the male lions moved across the plain, the Old King noticed that the lionesses where acting oddly. The lionesses would usually crouch down, almost hidden, when they spotted their prey. This would signal the males to lay low, as the females sprung their trap. However, this time the lionesses stood upright, and frozen. The male lions where puzzled by their behavior.

The Old King moved forward in a brisk trot, Akata, Guga, and Yuma following closely, but fanning out on the Old King’s flanks. Yuma traditionally took a position close to the Old King, at first for his own protection, but now simply out of tradition.

As the lions reached the top of the rise it became obvious why the lionesses where acting so strangely. Ahead lay another lion pride. This was unusual, even for the Old King. He wondered how these lions where able to venture so far into his territory without discovery.

Upon a quick inspection, the Old King could see he had an advantage in numbers. What he did not know, however, was how many invading pride members lay hidden beyond the tree line, backing up the lions that stood before him.

Suddenly a male lion from the invading pride charged toward the Old King. Without even a slight hesitation, Yuma who was positioned next to the Old King, took up the challenge, and sprung to the Old King’s defense. The two lions impacted, with teeth and claws bared. Spinning around in a cloud of dust, the two combatants where almost hidden from sight. Another large male lion from the invading pride moved towards the fight, when Yuma’s two older brothers Akata and Guga moved forward, and discouraged the attempt to uneven the odds.

The charging lion quickly retreated back to his pride, chased by Yuma, who then took an offensive posture with teeth bared in a roar that beckoned any other challengers to step forward. An old large male roared back in defiance, and then turned away, and headed back toward the tree line, followed by the other members of the pride.

Old King Ukuu deduced that the old lion was their leader. But why was the rogue lion pride in his territory? The Old king led his group back to join the rest of his pride without making a kill. That night the pride slept an uneasy sleep on empty stomachs, as Ukuu, Akata, Guga and Yuma kept a close watch across the plain.

When the morning sun broke on the Serengeti Plain. Old King Ukuu’s lion pride awoke from an uneasy sleep. The Old King thought deeply about what prompted the wandering lion pride to intrude into his territory. His first action would be to send Akata, Guga and Yuma to investigate the rogue pride.

The three lions trotted off in the direction of the tree line where yesterday’s encounter had occurred. Upon finding the invading pride, the three brothers first observed that the pride’s numbers where few. No cubs could be seen in the group. Two large males stood watch, as the old leader seemed to be resting. Several females also circled the group, one with a severe limp.

As the brothers moved closer it became obvious that the pride had not made sufficient kills. They looked hungry and tattered. An unusual amount of claw marks where apparent on most of the lions, and they all looked anxious. The lioness with the limp had a blood-streaked hole, which apparently was a fresh wound.

Upon receiving the report the Old King Ukuu inferred a frightening scenario. The only thing that could push a healthy pride off its territory would be man. He figured that the bloody hole in the lioness’s leg was a spear or bullet wound.

In fact, farmers claiming the land for their herd animals had pushed the lions off their territory. The lion cubs where probably captured, for selling off to zoos in Europe or the Americas. Upon leaving their territory, the pride would have faced many battles with other lion prides protecting their own territories, explaining the unusually high amount of scars and their dwindling numbers. The male lion that charged the day before was probably just a bluff, to show the pride was still strong, which for the most part had worked.

The Old King thought of what to do next. He sent the lioness hunters off in the opposite direction of the rogue pride, escorted by Akata and some of the younger males, because the pride needed to eat. He then sent Guga, and Yuma, along with another young male, to flush out some prey in the direction of the invading pride so they could make an easy kill, and also to keep watch on the rogue lion’s movements.

A few days passed, with another report to the Old King Ukuu informing him the invading pride’s leader had died. "He must have been a strong lion to lead his pride this far, through such a gantlet of dangers," the Old King thought to himself.

Ukuu continued to tolerate the remainder of the lions from the invading pride. The two large males stayed on the out skirts of the Old King’s territory. Curiosity attracted one of the younger male cousins from Ukuu’s pride to the two wandering males. Eventually, the three lions set off together chasing their own destiny.

The three lionesses of the invading pride where sisters, and joined the Old King’s pride after a short initiation period from the other lionesses. Zari the lioness with the wounded leg had the hardest time gaining acceptance, but she possessed a ferocious temperament, and the other lionesses soon found it to costly to harass the wounded lion.

Zari was able to heal, to the point that she was an effective guard for the cubs, even though she could no longer hunt. The other two rogue lionesses joined with the other lionesses and where eventually accepted on their hunting excursions. After a couple of hunts, Yuma noticed one of the two lionesses Kayla, and in turn she noticed him. They became mates, and soon produced a litter of lion cubs, one male and three females.

Over time Ukuu spent many days with his youngest son Yuma. The two lions went on many hunts together, and the Old King marveled at his son’s skills and intelligence. He held counsel with Akata and Guga, questioning them on their acceptance of the younger brother taking leadership of the pride. The older brothers where much older, and neither wanted to take leadership at such a late stage in their life. The older brothers pledged to the Old King that they would give their lives in support of Yuma and the pride. The Old King was just as proud of his two older sons, as he was his youngest son. The two older lions had fought many battles, and countless hunts in support of the Old King. They had given him many grandchildren, and everything the Ukuu was, he owed to them.

Over time the Old King Ukuu watched his youngest son Yuma take total charge of the pride. The Old King spent his last days with many grandchildren surrounding him, attacking his tail, and generally making him the center of their games.

The Old King died a natural death, surrounded by his pride. His youngest son, King Yuma, stood watch over his father’s remains for several days. King Yuma was eventually forced to turn away from his father, the Old King Ukuu, leaving his body to the natural processes of the Serengeti Plain.

Upon rejoining the pride, the King realized it was for the first time without his father. He thought back to when the Old King had affectionately praised him for his first kill, then thinking about all the hunts and battles they had faced together. Akata and Guga passed closely by, rubbing their bodies against Yuma, to show their support for their youngest brother, the new King.

Fall of the Matriarch- Chapter – 3

King Yuma had chosen Kayla as a mate, and before the Old King’s passing, the pair produced their first litter of cubs. The Old King greeted his grandson Oteka, his youngest son’s first born, and three beautiful granddaughters. The Old King played with his grand cubs, pondering the day when they would fill the ranks of the pride.

Akata, Yuma’s oldest brother was killed a season after Old King Ukuu passed. While trying to take down a young giraffe, the oldest brother lost his footing, and was killed under the sharp hoofs, of the adult male giraffe, protecting his herd. Guga, the Old King Ukuu’s second born son, took ill, wandered off into the bush alone, and was never seen again.

Several seasons passed since King Yuma had stood vigil over the Old King’s remains. The new King, now without his father and older brothers, was busy tending to the duties of leading the pride. His Matriarch, Kayla stayed close to her second litter of cubs, a second son Rami, and two more daughters, all-played with the cubs from the litters of other lionesses.

Kayla’s first litter of cubs could hardly be called cubs at all. They had grown into young lions, not yet ready to hunt, but capable of defending themselves, and still enjoying their play time, and living a care free life. Zari, the lioness with a limp remained cub-less. She was aunt to the King’s offspring, sister to the Matriarch Kayla, and a fierce defender of the lion cubs.

Her injury had kept her from hunting, but she gained the respect of the entire pride through her willingness to fight any that opposed her. So Kayla would lead the lionesses on their hunts without worry for the cub’s safety. Aunt Zari always remained behind, always remained vigilant.

The King’s first son, Oteka, was still a young lion. He was always in the company of his younger brother Rami, who always followed Oteka everywhere he went. Stalking his tail, or leaping on Oteka’s back from a tree branch, was Rami’s favorite forms of ambush.

The pair of young lions wrestled and played constantly. Some times the two would ambush their sisters, sending the entire bunch scrambling in different directions. The playful activity over time turned the young lions, into strong powerful predators; capable of taking on the duties required of a lion pride.

The Matriarch Kayla regularly led the lionesses’ hunt. Her third sister, Jazara would trot along by her side, and they would jointly bring down prey. Working as a group, the lionesses had even brought down prey, as big as a cape buffalo, without the assistance of their male escorts.

The biggest problem for the lionesses became the hyena clan. The scavengers would regularly disrupt a hunt by alerting a prey animal, before the lionesses where ready to spring their trap. It was common for a lioness to make a hyena kill, but the lions had no taste for the scavengers, and even though the lions regularly killed the hyena, their numbers had become so great it made no difference. King Yuma was becoming concerned as he got reports of the hyena’s intrusions. The problems with the hyena clan seemed to be escalating.

Seasons passed and Kayla presented the King two more litters. Each contained a son, and two daughters. The King now had a total of four sons and nine daughters. The oldest son Oteka had matured into a powerful lion, along with his younger brother Rami. The lion brothers regularly patrolled the Kings territory together with a third younger male lion Foli. The three made a routine out of hyena kills on their trips around the territory. But nothing seemed to dissuade the scavengers from interfering with lionesses’ hunts.

One evening the lionesses gathered for their hunt. King Yuma, and Oteka lead the escort for the hunters. The Matriarch Kayla led the hunting party out into the twilight looking for prey. The lionesses emboldened by the Kings presence decided to go after a lone cape buffalo.

When a creature is found separated from it’s herd, the animal is usually injured or sick, and for the lions, means an easier kill, and less spent energy. The buffalo started running even before the lions approached. As the lions watched, from behind a grove of trees, a group of hyenas where charging at the buffalo. King Yuma and Oteka immediately charged the hyenas, dispersing them in all directions. The lionesses then surrounded the Cape buffalo, as the King and Oteka kept the hyenas at bay.

The lionesses moved in on the buffalo, and soon had it on the ground. The males escorted the remainder of the pride to the kill, and the lions all settled down for a feast. The King joined Kayla only to find she had sustained an injury during the hunt. The lioness had a bloody gash under her ribs. The Cape buffalo had gored the lioness at some point during the hunt.

Kayla lay down, and her breathing became shallow and fast. The other lions where too preoccupied with the feast to notice the Matriarch was in distress. The King lay down next to his mate. The sky had turned dark, and the stars appeared in the sky, and soon the hyenas circled the pride yelping, laughing and hooting, being sure to stay well clear of the lions striking distance.

Occasionally a lion would charge the hyena group when they carelessly got to close, sending them scrambling for the safety of the distant darkness. The pride continued to feed on the buffalo carcass until morning.

After sunrise, the King nudged his mate, and got no response. The other lions surrounded the Matriarch, not knowing she had been injured. A helpless feeling moved through the pride. Sadly there was nothing to be done. The lion pride’s only choice was to move on leaving the matriarch, and the buffalo carcass to the scavengers of the Serengeti.

The thought of hyenas devouring the Matriarch was more than the King could bear. It was just the cycle of life on the Serengeti plains. Still the King harbored a new level of hate for the hyena clan, deserved or not. King Yuma’s territory was no longer a safe place for hyenas.

King Yuma’s patient was being pushed to the