NOTHING that I had read about Zimbabwe before my trip had prepared me for this - coming face to face with lions and walking with them in the bush.

It was a cool, clear morning in Gweru in the heartland of that country. The time was 6.30 and 10 of us, including our guide and camp manager Lovmore and two lion handlers, had been riding in an open truck for half an hour before reaching the caged enclosures housing 45 lions.

Before setting out from our safari camp, we were briefed on our impending encounter. Two lions would be taken out for a morning walk and would be roaming without leashes.

The writer petting a 16-month-old lion born in captivity at Antelope Park.

For two hours, we would follow them, walking behind or alongside. We were warned not to walk directly in front of them.

"They might mistake you for prey when you come into their line of vision, and pounce," said Lovmore.

For the same reason, we were cautioned not to approach the beasts from the front when they paused to sit and rest, but from the back or side. But we could pet and play with them.

"This is how you can have fun," said Lovmore, handing us a thin cane each. Waving his, he added: "This is a play stick - it also doubles as a control stick. Give it to the lions and they will chew it or paw at it.

"But if you feel the lions are getting too close or playful, you can wag it in front of them, say 'stay' and they will behave."
He told us to avoid having too many things dangling around our waist or neck, like binoculars and jumpers, as the lions tend to play with them.

We were told there would be two 16-month-old cubs, brothers by the way, walking with us.

When I saw them, my heart skipped a beat. They were huge and looked powerful, unlike the eight-month-old babes we had been playing with the day before in a cub viewing enclosure.

I needn't have worried, though the first half hour was tense. First, Ladero and Ltalo came bounding towards us, relishing their freedom. We gave them a wide berth, stepping to the side.

Lovmore grinned and said: "Be natural and walk behind them, you will soon get the feel of it."
And so we did, moving cautiously at first, though we had to make an effort to keep up with their energetic scampering across the grasslands.

But being cubs, they were also playful and often stopped to gnaw at each other or roll over. Ladero was the naughty one, always the first to start a fight.

After an hour, when the lions started to tire, they would pause to sit and rest. That was the signal to begin our interaction. "You can pet them," encouraged Lovmore.

I approached Ltalo and touched him gingerly on the side. He seemed to like it. His fur was astonishingly soft, like velvet, unlike the coarse fleece of the cubs I had petted the day before. That had felt like a bristly brush.

"That's because these lions have learnt to groom each other," Lovmore explained.

Then I heard him say "Stand up, stand up", and quickly did so, moving away from Ltalo. Apparently, Ladero was approaching from behind and I had to get up from my crouching position, as I was in his line of vision.

The others also experienced similar situations but at no time did we feel any danger, thanks to the handlers' attentiveness. We soon began to relax and walked nearer the lions and felt comfortable enough to get closer when they sat.

The two-hour walk was over quickly and we accompanied the lions back to their enclosure.

CUB VIEWING: Visitors can interact with cubs aged three to seven months and feel their coarse fleece. Their coats become softer when they grow older and learn to groom each other.

Danger of extinction

I WAS in a private 1,200-ha game reserve named Antelope Park, which might seem to be a misnomer, considering its reputation as a lion breeding and conservation centre.

But the park, established in 1972, had long been famous for a wide variety of antelope species roaming its territory. It has 18 other game species typically found in African wildlife parks, including zebras, giraffes and elephants plus 150 types of birds, making it a popular safari camp.

It was only in 1987 - when the current owners Andrew and Wendy Connolly bought the reserve - that the park began to focus on lion breeding and conservation. There were six lions in the park and there was a growing realisation that Africa's lions were in danger of becoming extinct.

From 200,000 in 1975, the number roaming the continent rapidly dwindled because of poaching, disease, inbreeding, hunting and the shrinking of their habitats.

By 2002, just 39,000 lions were left. Today, the number is closer to 20,000.

Hence, Antelope Park started a programme to reintroduce the offspring of lions born in captivity into the wild and ensure the species' survival.

Lions from breeding facilities in Tanzania and other parts of Zimbabwe were brought in to improve the gene pool. Today, even wild lions are sometimes shot with darts and brought in for mating before being released into the wild again.

The lion encounter scheme was introduced only a few years ago and you pay US$90 (S$130) for walking with the animals.

In 1999, when the lion population in Antelope Park had grown to 70, it released 20 to a similar breeding facility in South Africa.

The programme's four stages are spread over four years. In Stage One, for cubs born in captivity, they are taken away from their mothers as early as three weeks after birth and raised by human handlers.

From as early as six weeks, they are introduced to the bush to familiarise themselves with their surroundings and other wildlife species.

Between three and seven months, guests are given a chance to interact with them in an enclosure for 45 minutes.

From seven to 18 months, the cubs go on walks with guests.

When the walks are stopped, volunteers take over to spend six hours with them daily to help them develop natural hunting skills.

They are then released periodically at night into a 400 ha enclosure stocked with wild antelope, followed by handlers and volunteers in jeeps to observe their hunting ability.

When their hunting skills are further honed, the lions are relocated to a newly opened 400 ha enclosure located between Bulawayo and Gweru, and stocked with prey species.

Usually a pride of two males and five females are released and their progress is monitored by means of radio collars. By now, they are about 31/2 to four years old and they will live there for the rest of their lives.

Any cubs born will be considered wild as they would be raised in a totally natural environment and, when ready, they will be introduced into national parks throughout Africa.

This Stage Four will likely take place in 2011.

Antelope Park also offers other fund-raising activities. These include swimming with elephants (US$45), game drives (US$40) with abundant sightings of greater kudu, wildebeest, impala, giraffe and zebra, and witnessing the lions feed (US$22.50).

With six safari tents, three thatched luxury lodges, two family chalets, 18 twin-rooms and spacious camping facilities, the park caters to every budget. I stayed in a comfortable safari tent for US$20 a night for two nights. It had double beds and an en suite bathroom. The price included meals.

Guests get to mingle with the guides and volunteers, with the favourite gathering place being under the stars at an open campfire.

Youngsters are welcome but only those aged 16 and above are permitted to go on lion walks.

stlife@sph.com.sg

Photos: Tan Chung Lee

Air Zimbabwe flies direct from Singapore to Harare twice a week. From Harare, you can travel by bus (five hours) to Gweru and from there, you can get a taxi (15 minutes) to Antelope Park or call them for pick-up
(tel: +263-54-251949/251913).