Catfight!

Pictures Courtesy of Andy Campbell

Males often go around picking fights, of course, but it's a little unusual to see the fairer sex getting into such an unladylike scrap.

Our friend and serial guest Andy was on a drive with Chris and Debs when they came across two lionesses out for a stroll with three young cubs.   Soon enough they bumped into three lionesses from a neighbouring pride, who had a tumble of cubs of their own under a nearby bush.

Of course, too much oestrogen can be just as volatile as too much testosterone, and this encounter was never going to be just a smile and a wave.  

One of the first two lionesses stood her ground against the three mamas and gave her companion time to get the cubs away.   Her bravery earned her a sound beating as the fur flew and the ground shook, and although she survived the encounter, she'll not want to cross paths with these three desperate housewives again anytime soon.

(You'd think that lions are the only mammal about these parts, the way they keep featuring in every second blog post. Believe me, we are blessed with a wondrous array of beautiful, fascinating animals here in the Selous - but when these lions get busy, they do tend to steal the show.)