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When you’re travelling along the plains during an African safari and you hear your guide excitedly say, “lion!”, you wouldn’t be amiss to look around on ground level. But, depending on which safari destination you’re exploring, you may want to cast your gaze upward towards tree branches. In certain places in southern and eastern Africa, tree-climbing lions are the norm!
The phrase ‘tree-climbing lions’ seems a little bizarre to those who have never seen this unusual behaviour. Even seasoned animal behaviourists agree that lions are not evolutionarily adapted to scale trees and perch atop branches. In fact, this phenomenon is so rare that there are only a few places where you can see them in action.
While a leopard sleeping lazily in the treetops is a common sight on safari in the bush, this strange behaviour exhibited by lions has been the subject of interest and wonder.
Can Lions Climb Trees?
Yes! Lions can climb trees, as a few prides have shown us. However, they aren’t a special breed of lion, and this big cat species isn’t necessarily built for climbing.
Lions are built, “…for wrestling heavyweight prey, such as a buffalo, to the ground. [This] comes at the cost of the agility and the vertical power that a leopard has in being able to whip up a tree with an impala,” explained Luke Hunter, executive director of the big cats programme of the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York City, to the New York Post.
For a lion to successfully climb a tree, it has to be a certain type of tree. Horizontal branches that aren’t too far above ground seem to be ideal.
Why Do These Lions Climb Trees?
Get Away From Bugs
Lions are believed to climb trees as a behavioural adaptation to protect themselves from the constant irritation of insect bites, like from tsetse flies.
Stay Cool
Some animal behaviourists claim that these lions have perfected the art of climbing trees as a way of escaping the sweltering heat on ground level. This way, they can enjoy a cool breeze and blissful nap without worrying about the happenings on the ground.
Better Views
Being up in the trees can give lions an excellent vantage point from which to observe the movement of prey as they cross the plains in search of grazing opportunities and water.
Steal a Meal
Leopards are the big cat species known for climbing trees, including with their prey. Lions have been seen climbing up trees to steal animals leopards have hoisted up there.
While lions are not physically adapted to climbing trees, there are a few prides that have been able to master this skill over time and teach their young to do the same. This is a great example of learned behaviour as opposed to natural instinct. Lions can weigh between 250 and 400 pounds so it’s no easy feat to lug their bodies up such great heights!
Where Can You See Tree-Climbing Lions During a Safari?
Do you want to see tree-climbing lions in action? Consider these destinations for your next African safari:
Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda
The second largest national park in Uganda has a lot to offer safari-goers, but one of the main attractions is the famous tree-climbing lions. Located in the Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, while on a Uganda safari here, make sure to look up into the sycamore fig trees. The Ishasha tree-climbing lions seem to enjoy napping on the wide branches.
Tree branches are also perches from which they keenly observe herds of peacefully grazing antelopes, gazelles, and impalas. These herbivores form the main prey of these tree-loving lions.
Tarangire National Park, Tanzania
Known for its distinctive baobab trees, Tarangire National Park in Tanzania’s northern safari circuit is home to a healthy population of lions. While they’re often seen near the Tarangire River when prey animals are along the banks, they can also be seen among the branches of baobab and acacia trees.
If you’re lucky enough, you may catch the rare spectacle of a lion gingerly and carefully moving around a tree branch before pouncing on the ground. The awkward, almost unnatural hesitance that it exhibits is in sharp contrast to the flawless agility and ease that a leopard’s movements demonstrate.
Lake Manyara, Tanzania
While one of Tanzania’s smaller parks, it’s a unique place to visit partly because of the Lake Manyara tree-climbing lions. This is a learned behaviour, so, if you’re lucky, you might even see cubs discovering their climbing abilities and playing among tree branches.
Kruger National Park, South Africa
While not as common as in East Africa, lions climbing trees have been observed in the iconic Kruger National Park. The Vurhami pride in the southern region of the park has been known to leap into trees to escape the heat as well as floodwaters.
The art of effectively scaling trees – especially for older lions – calls for a measure of effort, constant practice, and excellent arboreal mastery. Fortunately, like any skill that is hard to perfect, the more these lions climb the trees, the more adept they become at it.
If you’re on safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara, or Kruger, don’t forget to look up when your guide says “lion!” – the sighting you seek may just be up in tree branches instead of on the ground!
Written by Tiffany Bowers
• Travel Writer
Verified by Devryn Panaino
• Africa Safari Expert
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Written by Tiffany Bowers
• Travel Writer
Verified by Devryn Panaino
• Africa Safari Expert
Part of the Tanzania Safari & African Big Cats Safaris Collections