As the lions proceed through the bush we follow in the Rover, the tracker's light moving from one cat to another although he's careful not to shine the light into their eyes or point ahead of the procession.

"The light's allowed on the hunters, but we don't want to give them the advantage by showing off the prey," Duard tells us.

We continue like this, a line of lions moving side by side through the bush but trailed by a Land Rover filled with spectators who have journeyed half-way around the world to observe big cats in the wild.

Then, as quickly as a twig snaps from shrub, the lions sprint into the dark.

Pride of Lions Surrounding Their Prey Photo by Bob Plunkett

Deep and throaty snarls are heard plus a high-pitched yelp followed by a loud roar as fangs connect with forgiving flesh of the antelope trapped by a wave of pouncing lions. It's not a pretty scene, and certainly not so to watch one animal die for the nourishment of others, but it's electrifying to witness this age-old drama played out by wildlife in Africa, hunter connecting with the hunted in the endless continuum of the food chain.

"What do you want to see the most?" Tanya asks me during our journey to South Africa and the private game reserve at Ulusaba.

"I hope to observe a kill," I tell her, explaining that, despite being an impassioned proponent of wildlife conservation, I understand that the struggle between hunter and hunted and the rule of the food chain is as much a part of natural order of Africa as thunderstorms and brush fires. Also, I want to see Africa's large cats - lions, leopards and cheetahs, each unique in social behavior and habits.

We had already been on safari elsewhere in Africa. We peered into the gaping mouth of a hippopotamus on the Zambezi River of Zambia and observed herds of elephant and giraffe, zebra and wildebeest, on dusty plains in Zimbabwe.

Yet we met few big cats on these treks. (CONTINUED...)