A lion waits in the tall grasses of Swaziland. He sees his prey, an antelope jumps into view. He rises slowly to his feet, being careful not to scare the antelope off when a black rhino races at the antelope. The lion sits back down and waits for an easier prey. A wild dog runs across the grassland. An elephant roars in the near distance of the forest. A cheetah stalks the wild dog and a fight quickly breaks loose. The lion lays down, his head on his paws, and feels the cool breeze blowing his mane. The day slowly turns to night, and it gets cooler.
The sky above him is filled with clouds. The grass is very dry at this time of year (June-September) because it is very cool and dry. The months of October-May are warm and wet.There are no snowy days at all during the year. The year-round average temperature is about 70 degrees. This is very different than in Kansas, where the temperatures go from 90 degrees to 15 degrees year-round!
Swaziland is landlocked and almost completely surrounded by South Africa. Mozambique touches it's northern edge. Mostly mountains and hills cover the area. Swaziland is slightly smaller than New Jersey. The lion had a dream about running along white sandy beaches and not being enclosed in a game park. He had been transported from Madagascar to Swaziland many moons ago by boat. The sound of ocean waves calmed him as he drifted to sleep.
The next morning, the lion sees a group of tourists riding by on bicycles. They stop to take pictures as he gives out a mighty roar. That same day, many safari tours, hikers, and horseback riding tours come by. The lion slowly moves to the shade to cool down after many hours sitting in the hot sun. Flies buzz around him and he swats them away with his huge paw. His paw lands on the end of a white mouses' tail and he quickly devours the little rodent with little satisfaction.
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