UKUTULA

Ukutula is a lion sanctuary that is owned by fellow witnesses. Although, they have many animals they specialized in taking care of lions. This was our first real encounter with animals in Africa and it became my favorite of them all. Once you see the pics you'll know why. This is the closest you'll be able to get to these animals this side of Paradise.

This giraffe crossed right in front of us

Giraffe's are very shy, so they seek cover right away

This lion cub is a couple months old

Look at this face

The cheetah's are privately owned, that's why they're behind the fence

We all got to pet them.
FYI their tongue is like really rough sandpaper

I dreamed of doing this in Paradise. Jehovah has granted me
a taste of what that's going to be like. THANK YOU JEHOVAH!!!

Most of these lion cubs didn't make a fuss but, others...

fought back. I wasn't scared. YEAH RIGHT!!! All I have to say
is they ganged up on me. MONTONEROS!!!

Those month old teeth are really sharp!

This little cub just wanted to sleep

One of the best experiences in my life! Jehovah wants us to
enjoy his creation and I can't wait to fully do so in Paradise.

That's the Daddy Lion and one of his several blondes

Look at them chompers

1+ year old male lion

He wasn't very happy with some kids that were running back
and forth. That's one scary cat when he charges!

One of the blondes nursing a new born, not necessarily hers. But the other lionesses are cool with that.

After playing with the lion cubs and seeing the daddy lion we went on a walk with the lions. The lions you get to play with are 6 months or younger. After the 6 months they separate them and start to train them to go on walks with people. It takes a 2-4 months to train them before they go out with the people. Some are too stubborn and not trainable so they never get to go out on walks. 

The first thing they tell us on the walk is that although these are young lions, 1 year or less, they are still wild animals. They will hunt you if you separate from the group, if you turn your back to them and if you're smaller than them, so always stay together in a group. Where have we heard that before?

Then we were told that because they are wild animals and they're roaming free, if they see something they want to explore they will go after it. They will hunt if they see the opportunity, so again, always stay together in your group.

Although the lions would wonder off they always came back
to the trainers. They had treats, dead chicks.

Excellent climber getting a treat

Knowing they were busy getting treats we took a chance and turned our backs for a pic

Look at them claws!!! That's serious climbing gear.

Some bros. we met from New Orleans

You guys coming or what?

They love them chicken nuggets

You have to give thanks before you eat

After we spent some time with the lions we wanted to have real African cuisine. We wanted to try some game meat. We were recommended a restaurant named Carnivore. The name says it all. We tried venison, kudu, eland, impala and crocodile. The favorite, crocodile. It taste like pork chops. Like Richard's famous pork chops. They were delicious! Can you tell we miss your cooking Richard?