LIONS ON THE HUNT

Lions are essentially night creatures. The vast majority of lion sightings are of them lying around and sleeping. They sleep with ruthless efficiency, for up to 20 hours a day. So while a lion sighting is always exciting, it's seldom very...well, exciting.
This is not the case at Duba Plains in Northern Botswana. Duba is, in effect, a fair sized island, surrounded by water except for a narrow strip of land. This means that animals like buffalo amble onto it, and then lose the entrance and get stuck there. Which means that the lions of Duba Plains are basically living in an enormous larder.
These lions are so confident in their plentiful surroundings, that they hunt whenever they feel hungry, day or night, in the knowledge that a good meal will always present itself. So if you want to see lions as the terrifying predators that they truly are, as opposed to snoring pyjama cases, Duba Plains is where you want to be.

Lions are possibly the most cooperative pack hunters in Africa, along with wild dog. Like all apex predators, they aren't successful on every hunt, but at Duba Plains, the percentage is much higher because of the sheer amount of potential prey in a limited space.
To watch lions hunt is an incredible thing. There is a high degree of intelligence working here, with total understanding and cooperation between the females (lionesses are the ones who do the hunting) and constant reaffirmation of bonds within the pride through physical nuzzling. Each lion knows its role in the hunt exactly, and their use of tactics is second to none. Unlike wild dog, who chase animals down until the  prey is exhausted, lions are cunning and tricksy operators, using guile, bluff and ambush techniques that are both inspiring and chilling to watch.