A Conversation with Chris & Charlotte McBride

When

you meet Chris and Charlotte McBride you immediately feel vweerlycobmeaeuitniftuhleainrdhosemren. IevLisuistaekdathresmidaetntcheeir ardenesdcuwreiabdseodggrases.eCatehndroiesunttshhiedunesliteaedsatmircoaeolltmyo bwyhtaehtreeciraInwbaes iWntersoadtuacned dtorahnisk dceolfifgehetwfuhl iwleifwe,eCshpaorkloetateb.out wChreirse’sCnhaatirvloetSteouisthfrAofmri.ca, and Zimbabwe, CMChhcrrBiissr’iasdnedys’eCshalaimgrhlpottiuntepKtaoasfguheetehNsepartepiaoaknrsat-alobPwoanruktahannidsdrun klinfeoawnnd woilrdldliwfeidine pfoarthicisulbaor.oCkhs raibs oisuat lsi onws ell and wI wriatsinhgearbeotoutdtehlevme i.nWtohtehneCshurbijsescpt eoafklisons ‘haMbeoysuhfatatlrhieoesnrwswhiatehsdhfaoisecslianstoaetwfeaditthbheypr,laiCosysnrisoilnf,oe, rsxopsomlameintehining,g breacsaounseanhde wI sauspcpeonstereIdgotnktehenmo.’n them wC hreirseMhceBgrridewe wuapswbiotrhnhiins Jlaotheafnanthesebr,uarg Db usrinegsCsmhraisn’smcahnildohriogoinda, lhlyisffraotmheDr uforubgahnt. the Germans in the desert in World War Two. faCrbhoormiusttshtaweyosw,oa‘Ir.stahHwreeheainymdeafhorisrs wtbhrheoetfnhirehsrtebtciomaumegehaftbtaecrk property adjoining the Kruger National Park. They were both keen on wild animals and so lIagtreerwbeucpamviesiktinogwanboaustt1h0e,T00im0baacvraetsioPfrwivhaatet CNWhahrtiuilserbeeeRncejaosmyeirenvgfer.hi’eisndtilmy we inththtreawckieldreJranckess, sMhpiamotrhatenwbduhtlerana. c‘IJkawclaikoswnasa.tseHeaenbwargioleluiraldwntsaastrytaotcokgmeorwea,intdh my “Listen, we are getting close now, don’t look on the ground, look in front.” We would observe WthehastleIelpeainrgnelidonfrsowmhhicimh weatshaemnalezfint ga.lone. ‘On one particular walk we found fresh lion tshprooourgahntdhtahtearre aw. aIswaalsiowniethssmthyaftriheanddgwonhoe wasntehderteo. tHheropwroscteoendeesdtotosteheriofwthsetolinoensesasnd ogrnotwhleinthgitrhduantdtemroputstlhy.eJalicoknsehssouchteadr,g“eYdimouat, huTanhdgeacldihouanbreguselsid!h”oamudtesaotnfoifpnepgae,rd“fSo2tra5hymesrteictlrlu,ebdssoa!nwW’taesyh; osohte”. wmalnkaingegdoftfoimntaoktehoeudrisetsacnacpeeabnydqsuhie trleyturned tlioonhesrhcauvbesb.eIeonftsehnowt uondnercehsoswarimlya.’ny charging AmNsaytauMnrasldtRueerlt’ss,oCtuhrercisesiswa(eitnHtWuominldbtlooiflsedttMuSdatynatlaiegoenms.e‘Indt/id University in California) and learned very quickly that lions don’t worry about vehicles. KstoundryaodfLaonriemnazl, tbheehAavuisoturira—n efothuonldoegry—of the theorised that animals work on genetic apreoginratmhempirnoggarnamd lmeaerannindgaannimd athlsatfehaurmusa.ns i(amTnhipmerrianel,tairnreegm.eIoxmvceepdpritfnirotonimnsg, isitus cwphahareesrnemtasa,nv“e-imerayptyirnoingutnasn”gd on a human as the parent.)

'For lions, a human is an upright shape with a caenrataniinmsaclebnut.tVifeyhoiculesstaanrde nuopt, ethverenaitnenaivneghtiocle, Hlikoewienvaerv,eifhyicolue achsaits’es tnhoetmininthaevperhoigcrlaem, thmeey. wthiellmlegaerntilnysatnadnttlhyetyhawtiiltl ibseafitnher.e’ at, but treat We return to the subject of Timbavati. wChaitreloltitoenrsesmoefomnbdelrys, ttehleliinrgtime, t‘Thhereey wietrhethe a wonderful part of our lives and the book,

Timbavati, was translated into eight languages and eventually made it to The White Lions of

pnruemstbigeriofuosur on the best seller list in the UK’s these animals were uniquen,etwhespsaupcecre.sBseocfatuhsee

Sunday Times pboeopklwe afrsosmpeaclliaolvfeor tuhseinwoasrlmd uinctheraessittegdoatnd ginrveoaltvceodnwseirthvaltioionns taonodl.’conservation…it was a uOnsecwruhpiuteloliuosnhsutnorteyruwnafosldosffelirkeedtahis… An tcroonpshidy.eNraobwle, osnuemwoafymtonaetytrfaocrt aliownhsitise tloiopnlay isnoduincdatseosfthyaetnthase chayceknlainsgh, avselifonusnkdnmoweath. is tChherihsuenxtpelrawinass, ‘aTnhde adacnargcearsfsewncaeswneaasrwbyh.ere dTahnegwerhifteenlcieo,nws heardettohbeye wkeoputldawhayvefrboementhe cshomote. Wtoe.’ had to find another sound they would tChheroisr’ys osof lcuotniodnitiwoansintgo daodgasp tothaessPoacvilaotveiafonod bweiltlh),abpuat rCthicruislacrhsoosuenadn(oitnhPeravsloouvn’sdc…ase, a aBweeatyhforvoemn’ds aTnrgipelre! Concerto, to entice the lions ‘We conditioned the white lions to associate caonnoctheretros)owuhnednwtihteh lmioenast,wbeyrpeleaaytiinnggt, hainsd(tshoe anftderaacwarhcialsest.hIteywwouoludldhacvoemme atodethneosound difference what sound was chosen to attract the lions, provided that a link between that sound and meat had been made,’ he told me. Csthrarinlostotef rthemis eambaezrins,g‘Ymouscicanfloimataingigntehtrhoeugh gt heostsartlhitrobugsh…thtehedna,rsklnoewslsy, tawppoewarhiinteg lioknes…’ When it comes to his differing styles of storysctethalolriontsgwei…rnitIhijniusgs.wt trhitininkgo, Cf hwrhisatexI is my pwlainntst,o‘Isdaoyna’tnd best work. That mwaosrefudlla-taimtheeresaesarwche wanedrethweirtehwthaeslaiolnots all

LIONTIDE the time. If you are studying lions, you cannot ejounfsttihrsetufeodcoyodstyhpseytmreamin. iIdifs.yoYoloauutisohenae;vatehstetoaybloalroeekpaartitdttheheeotfop lions you know that everything underneath athnetemloipseth, kruivdinugainndtwhailtdebcosayrstteomt…hefrboimrdtshe athnrdiviinnsgectotst.hIelimkeintoerc’osmcapnaarreytihneaecaogsye;stifemit ’s died he knew there was poisonous gas in the tmhiantee.cSoismysiltaermly,,sifotmhetrheianrgeisnowsrtoanbgle.’ prides in A stark contrast to the storytelling of

is that of MmcoBreriidneas’dDiaiarryiessty–lPeaarnt d1 iwnhcoicrhpoisrawteristtlentters LIONTIDE LIVING WITH LIONS: bweetlwl aesenjohuirsnwalifeen, tCrhieasr.lTothtaet, abnodokhewrams wotrhiettreans under different circumstances he explains, ‘We had guests at the time and you cannot focus sboloeklyeoxnplloiorens owthenr wyoiludlhifaeveangdueis tnso. tTthhise same formula as working on a scientific study.’ fIuttuurrnet. o‘CChhriasrlhoatstecoandtinauskedhewritahbohuist pthaession mforadlieondsa,ilaynadtnMocwB,rtioddeasy’ ,Cnaemwpm…elimonosrireosaarirneg hthurdodulgehdosuatfethlyeunnigdhetr atht ethirebclamnkpe, tosu…rLgouneests Ranger—our huge resident hippo—lying fast ansldeefipvenebxetatuotitfhuel ldioiniensgseasresat,rosnlloinrgintghgroeungtlhy… the camp, deciding to rest in front of the dining rtlohoveoeimrlyw,wreehllcialoexmegdueegasontldsdwennoergoeinrhlesacvgoirnuegladtblgyrouontuocthstth. aTeyiheredse rooms until the lionesses moved on, in their own good time.’

Chris adds, ‘I hope to accomplish part two of love to do a lot more wirtihtimngynwoiwfe. CanhdarIlowtoteuld LIVING WITH LIONS cinafnluwenrictedrehaelrlytobereaaudti,faunlldy, shheer jmusotthears a natural instinct with wildlife.’ cTahpetimvatgei…c osof lsioaynsthceonMticnBureidsetso—enatnhdraIllaagnrede.