Tree Climbing Lions in Uganda; Tree climbing lions in Uganda can be explored in the southern part of Queen Elizabeth National Park in the Ishasha sector and in the entire world there are only two countries to watch these rare tree climbing lions that is Uganda and Tanzania. In Tanzania can be watched in Lake Manyara National Park and Uganda in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
In Uganda there are also lions which do not climb trees and can be found in Murchison falls National Park, Kidepo Valley National Park.
Why do lions climb trees?
The lions climb the trees because the view is good for watching the various preys that can be seen loitering around the park. These kings of the jungle ‘’cats’’ can easily pounce on their food especially the antelopes without easily being noticed. They also climb the tree branches to escape too much heat from the ground and get shelter from the rain.
They flee because of the insect bites especially, during the rainy season the grounds get infected with the breeding tsetse flies that bite the wild animals thus forcing lions run to the tree branches for protection from the many insects on the grounds.
Sometimes seasons changes that lead to quite high temperature of over 28 degrees Celsius or 80 degrees Fahrenheit thus making too much heat on the ground. The heat makes the ground hot for the cats. Fortunately, these tree climbing can escape away this heat places and run to cool off from the tree branches.
They like hanging up for the cool view of their food such as prey, the antelopes, when feeding in the pastures.
These climbing lions love the wide branched trees found in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The tree species include; Sycamore fig trees and acacia trees. This type of trees is quite wide enough to provide quiet a comfortable wide place for resting and offering favorable shelter for the lions during rainy season.
However, Queen Elizabeth National Park is diversity of mammals that inhabits from the candlestick thorns, humid rainforest to the savannah vegetation which favors most wildlife species like antelopes, Ugandan kobs, warthogs and other animals are seen loitering on the Ishasha sector, Kasenyi plains, Kazinga channel, lakes and around every area of the park. The park is also home to primates such as Chimpanzees at Kyambura gorge and other small primates.
The tree climbing lions climb the tree branches when the sun rises.
Exploring these unique lions of Queen Elizabeth is quite remarkable life time experience. All you need is to carry a clear digitalized camera for photography as you take photos of these species when they lazily lie in the tree branches.
The sycamore fig tree is an advantage of the tree climbing lions as they offer enough shelter to the lions from the heat as well as during rainy seasons.
Why Queen Elizabeth National Park ideal place for the tree climbing lions?
Tree climbing lions are the reason why Queen Elizabeth national park is the most visited safari destination on Uganda Wildlife Safaris. Because of these rare tree climbing lions have attracted thousands of tourists around the world.
Definitely, this unique tree climbing can be seen in few places such as Lake Manyara in Tanzania and Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth national park is a must for a tourist who visits the area to explore quiet number of them.
Visitors on visit to Queen Elizabeth national park get marveled of seeing these unique tree climbing lions, you will confirm the unique characteristic of the big cats of Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth. You can choose to visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and be able to trek the great mountain gorillas, from Queen to Bwindi takes 3 or 4 hours’ drive to access the main visited destination ‘’Bwindi’’
They lazily hung up in the tree branches to take rest after a day’s hunt to digest their food. They hung up eagerly staring at the small animals feeding on the ground like the kobs.
Unfortunately, on April – 10th -2018 ,11 lions were found lying dead in ishasha because they were alleged poison in their caucus.
Despite these lions are endangered and they remain firm tourist attraction on African Wildlife Safari. Still they remain the ‘’Kings of The Jungle’’ this name is their historical pride.
Apart from the rare tree climbing lions, Queen Elizabeth National Park also boosts with other big cats like leopards and other animals include; buffaloes, hyenas, antelopes, elephants, crocodiles and home of hundreds of hippos and elephants can be seen playing in water at noon as well as chimpanzees which can be seen in stunning kyambura George many more. On visit queen Elizabeth national park, you can be offered with scenic views of real wilderness from the ranges of mountain Rwenzori once known as mountain of the moon with great view of crater lakes and kazinga channel that connects on two fresh water bodies of lake Edward and George.
