More rain on the plains

Our day was a lot like in soccer where 'something amazing almost happened'.
First of all, we went to a local zoo of sorts this morning. Not because we really wanted to see lions and leopards in cages (since that's really counter to the whole safari mentality) but mostly because they breed tigers and Jarine, our ranger now, spoke glowingly of their two bengal tiger cubs. They socialize their animals so we could pick up the cubs and hold them which is not something you get to do every day. So we took a break and drove over there. And the 'kittens' were cute and we got to pet leopards. Then in the afternoon when Jarine came for the game drive she told us that the lion pride we've been seeing was found feeding on a kill this morning (see why I NEVER skip a game drive!). It was a wildebeest , though, so they were still working on it. We would head over there to see them. On the way, however, we were going to be in for a treat. Her husband (who works on the reserve) was getting us front row seats, so to speak, for a rhino exam. A female rhino had brushed aside the attentions of a male rhino and been gored (not uncommon) so they were bringing in a helicopter and a vet to chase her to a clearing and dart her so they could assess her wounds. Pretty exciting opportunity made even more so by the fact that another thunderstorm was blowing in.
So off we went to Fig tree plain. Minutes later the helicopter arrived (a la M.A.S.H.), landed, tossed off its doors, took on an official, and took off flying around while four vehicles chased around in the blustery wind hoping to have a rhino barrelling towards us. But the vet decided that the rhino was not sufficiently injured to require medical attention so that was that. Good for the rhino. A bit of a let down for us.
But we were off to see the lions as the storm hit (now a la 'Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and the big blizzard that hit Christmas Town). The wind was whipping, lightning was crashing around us - vertically, horizontally, diagonally, everywhere) while we were bouncing in the open vehicle with our rain ponchos flapping. It was quite exciting. And the lions were just sitting in the rain fat and as happy as they could be under the circumstances. The cubs were gnawing on wildebeest bones and frolicking around and you couldn't help but be happy for them being happy. No pictures turned out cause it was too dark and raining but a great experience nonetheless.
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