It's a hard life

It's a hard life out there in the Kalahari Desert, particularly for a lone old male Lion. A lion in that situation simply cannot afford to pass on an opportunity to catch a porcupine when that presents itself. Although a porcupine of course is not a difficult prey to catch, it is still a darn dangerous one, even for a 240 kg male lion! Not that a 25 kg porcupine could instantly kill a mature lion, but quills that get stuck and left behind during the struggle can cause serious infection. In the obvious absence of proper medical treatment and antibiotics in the wild, it is this infection that can definitely cause a painful death. With several quills stuck in its legs and chest it is evident that this Lion had to struggle for its dinner and that it runs a serious infection risk.
Needless to say is that the Porcupine was the real loser in the struggle for life, but at least it won't die of an infection...
I know I have said many times that I am not a big fan of square formats and I remain of the same opinion, but I simply had no good alternative here, square was the best option. (partly due to the fact that I chose the wrong focal length and the screwed up a bit on the original comp…)

Species: Lion (Panthera leo)
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Nossob River, Botswana/South Africa
Camera Model Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
Shutter Speed 1/1250 Sec.
Aperture Value f/6.3
ISO Speed 640
Lens EF500mm f/4L IS USM
Crop is app 65-70% of original