In autumn in the northern hemisphere, there is a hint of coolness in the air. Kun
The Kilimanjaro Mountains block the humid monsoon blowing from the Indian Ocean, and the abundant water vapor pours into the grassland, which subsides the heat during the day and adds a touch of coldness. Under the night, the clear sky is filled with stars.
The screams of jackals rippled across the vast plains, and the red-necked nightjars flew through the cover of darkness. The cries they emitted as they passed side by side with their peers were like sad cries, praying plaintively to the silent gods of the African wilderness. With.
Otherwise, the night was completely empty.
Cecil, an eight-year-old lion, walked briskly across the sandstone path, occasionally taking long strides to jump over the rough ground.
The soup plate-sized soles grabbed the rocky ground, and the quartz sand squeezed and collided, making a crisp sound.
This majestic lion will only stop for a moment when it wants to leave its scent on the bushes on the roadside.
As the only cat in the world that has both male and female states, its flowing mane in the night wind strongly declares Cecil's unquestionable kingship in this savannah. Kun
Since becoming the lion king occupying this territory, Cecil has been patrolling the territory every night for the past five years, demarcating the boundaries with scent to maintain his dominance.
This is why the male lion does not need to hunt. Its job is to ensure the security of its territory and fight off intruders.
With a powerful scrape of his back palm on the sand, Cecil heavily underlined his "smell signature" as the end of today's work.
Just as the lion king was shaking his hair and preparing to return to the pride of lions, a strong and unique smell suddenly came from the darkness ahead.
Elephant meat!
Cecil twitched his nostrils and easily smelled the owner of the smell, and his mood became excited.
Elephant meat, what a long-lost food. Kun
In the vast expanse of grassland, even the lions have animals that they don't want to touch - the elephants.
No matter how powerful the lion group is, facing the largest overlord unit on land, they have to live in harmony with each other cautiously, and they have to endure pain even if they are hungry.
If they want to eat elephant meat, lions can only rely on luck to encounter an old elephant that has died of starvation, or the remains of an elephant that has been killed by humans.
They are usually the remains of elephants killed by humans. Old elephants that starve to death often die near water sources and are devoured early by crocodiles. The skeletons that are still stained with shredded meat are covered with leeches and ants, and become rancid. It was unbearable and basically inedible.
However, the elephants killed by humans are almost intact except for the broken head. As long as they can drive away the hyenas that smell the smell, they can have a satisfying meal.
Cecil didn't understand why humans killed the elephant but didn't eat it, but generations of experience told him that it was never wrong to stay away from humans. They were more ferocious than hyenas.
It had been a long time since he had eaten elephant meat, and the smell of dead elephants suddenly came from the darkness, which undoubtedly strongly attracted Cecil Kun, who had just finished his work and became hungry.
Experience tells the Lion King that a free lunch is delivered to his door.
But this wreckage seems slightly different from the past, and based on the experience of this big cat, it should avoid entering.
It smells like humans.
It can smell it.
No matter how quiet humans think they are and try to avoid emitting smells, animals will always find clues.
Clothes rustled, and toothpaste and deodorant smelled like gun grease and plastic.
Unless you have abandoned everything in industrial society and are naked and covered in mud, these smells will be so out of place in the sensory world of wild animals, like a white snowflake drifting into a black coal mine. Kun
The strong, alluring smell of blood, mixed with the complex smell of industrial products, made Cecil hesitate.
But the smell of elephant meat was so fragrant that every empty intestine was shaking desperately, sending eating signals to the brain.
Maybe those humans who drive big monsters and like to roar?
Cecil thought.
Experience tells Cecil that humans are terrifying, and their "claws" can easily penetrate the thickest rhinoceros skin, but it is also used to the presence of humans.
More and more humans are authorized to enter national parks for photography tours. The lion king has long been accustomed to the smell of humans. It never approaches and does not dare to drive away. It can only wait for the strong, unnatural smell to slowly dissipate on the grassland. .
These people must be passing by. Kun
When someone suspects a neighbor of stealing an axe, he will use wrong information to continuously strengthen his logical chain. This is a mistake that even the smartest human beings will make, let alone a hungry lion.
It's a pity that the people who are eyeing the Lion King this time are no longer the people Cecil was familiar with before.
In order to minimize the impact of smells and sounds and prevent them from spreading in this clearing, the sneaky people hid on a platform elevated on the tree trunks downwind of the elephant carcass.
An ugly man was crouching on a high platform, looking at the lion king who stepped into the trap step by step according to the plan. The man couldn't help but grinned, revealing his white teeth. It was obvious that he must cherish his teeth very much.
But the man obviously did not cherish nature. He held a powerful compound bow in his hand, and his palm with slightly blurred fingerprints held a sharp arrow in the quiver. It was obvious what he wanted to do.
Palmer is an American dentist. For this hunt, he spent a full three hundred thousand dollars to get everything done, just for a few photos after the hunt was successful.
A sturdy guide accompanies Palmer on his left, and on his right, there is a man with a tougher temperament, sitting like a bodyguard. Obviously, this gun holder is the fuse of the hunting operation. Kun
In order to ensure concealment and safety, they used an off-road vehicle to drag the elephant carcass to an open space, then built a platform on a nearby tree and set up a camouflaged hunting tent to better observe the elephant body. .
After completing his disguise, Palmer went up to the platform and waited quietly for the lion to appear.
Sitting motionless in this narrow hiding place, facing all kinds of reptiles and flying mosquitoes, was originally an unbearable chore, but in the face of the upcoming trophies, the excitement washed away all negativity. factor.
This reminded Palmer of the time when he was young, sitting in front of a video game console and holding his urine to pass levels. However, as he grew older, he fell in love with more exciting sports and had the financial resources to put them into practice.
As the lion continued to approach, everyone knew that this wait would be over soon.
This king of lions is a perfect target for hunting - alone on the edge of the reserve and accustomed to the presence of humans.
Cecil sniffed the clearing, and in the end the attraction of the elephant meat overcame his vigilance. He slowly approached the elephant carcass, and his fangs tore open the hard elephant skin like dry wood like scissors, revealing the bright red flesh. Tissue, a stronger smell emerges. Kun
Just a few minutes later, Cecil was eating without noticing that the arrow in the hunter's hand was already on the string.