Photo: The New York Times
Lions often climb trees to escape swarms of biting flies, one of their most dangerous natural threats. These insects can cover them in hundreds, causing severe discomfort, while being at height and in the breeze helps lions avoid the pests. Males may stay in trees for hours to prevent being bitten. Particularly harmful are autumn tsetse flies, whose bites can spread infections. Historically, entire prides have suffered devastating losses due to these insects, such as in 1962 at the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, where only ten out of seventy lions survived a fly invasion. Whenever the opportunity arises to escape these bloodsuckers in trees, lions take it, even though they usually dislike heights — for them, it’s a matter of survival.
