Destroying these magnificent lions, George Adamson

1960s • Kenya

"One evening we came upon a magnificent lioness on a rock, gazing out across the plains. She was sculptured by the setting sun, as though she were part of the granite on which she lay. I wondered how many lions had lain on the self-same rock during countless centuries while the human race was still in its cradle. It was a thought which made me reflect that although civilized man has spent untold treasure on preserving ancient buildings and works of art fashioned by the hand, yet he destroys these creatures which typify the perfection of ageless beauty and grace."

George Adamson, in Gareth Patterson, Last of the Free (New York: St. Martin's, 1995), 151.

Image: Anita Ritenour, Lion Eyes In the Masai Mara NP, Kenya. 26 July 2011.