Koshoke

Maasai Mara, 2023

Photographing lions, especially impressive males, in the Mara landscape is always a tricky challenge. Their notoriety makes them hugely popular with vehicles and understandably so, they’re amazing to see.

The issue with this, from a photographers point of view, is that it makes creating strong imagery particularly difficult.

One fortunate December day in 2023, I found myself alone in the marshlands, in the company of the magnificent bull elephants I often trailed during those early morning hours. Suddenly, my guide and I caught sight of a commanding figure striding purposefully across the marsh - a massive male lion.

Swiftly, we packed up and positioned ourselves ahead of him, eagerly awaiting his approach. As he drew nearer, we recognised him as ‘Koshoke’ - a name meaning ‘the one with the big belly’ in Maa, the local language.

Koshoke is part of the formidable male coalition known as the Bila Shaka Males, with four brothers still reigning in the Maasai Mara.

It was evident that Koshoke had recently enjoyed a hearty feast, living up to his name in every way. After he passed closely by our vehicle, enabling me to capture the shot, he retreated into a bush by the river, consumed by the promise of a long, undisturbed slumber.

Koshoke; the one with the big belly and monarch of the marshland.