We saw them far in the vast Savannah, their territory. In the Serengeti plains on a beautiful afternoon, this lion and lioness were taking a stroll to survey the lands. As they came closer, the lioness, who seemed to have entered her estrous cycle tried to entice the male by elaborate tail movements and constant sensual gestures. However, he was least interested and continued walking and marking his territory. After about half an hour of trailing them, they disappeared into a thick bush. Since off-road driving is not permitted in Serengeti, our guide decided to take the slim chance of spotting them on the other side of the bush. We drove to the other side and after nearly an hour long wait, we saw them emerge from the bushes and lie down very close to our vehicle. The lioness continued her courtship and finally the male gave in and decided to mate with her. As they took their mating position, to our complete surprise, instead of mating with her, the lion terribly bit into the neck of the lioness. The female groaned in pain and immediately turned around growling and slashed at the lion, pushing him to jump back on his two hind legs as she attacked him with her sharp claws. After this, the female just walked away, while the male sat licking his wounds. Words fail in capturing the intensity of the moment. Technical Specs: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 200-400mm F4L lens, 1/500 sec at F5.6, ISO 500, bean bag Post Processing: Cropping, Minor Level and saturation adjustment, Minor Sharpening.