The Natural Moment 



A Prickly 

 Encounter 



Photograph by Barrie Wilkins 



On one of his early morning drives 

 through South Africa's Kalahari 

 Gemsbok Park, photographer Barrie 

 Wilkins encountered two adolescent lions 

 worrying an African porcupine and her 

 youngster in the dry bed of the Nossob 

 River. Realizing that these burrow- 

 dwelling porcupines are rarely active in 

 the daytime, Wilkins concluded that the 



lions must have detained the pair all 

 night, trying to get past the sharp, barbed 

 quills to a tasty meal. He also noticed 

 numerous tracks that had been made 

 during scuffles and near-escapes. After 

 observing and photographing the 

 confrontation, he returned to camp. 

 There, members of a research team 

 confirmed that they had seen the animals 



.■'; \.\\'L:RM, HisroRY 5/94 



