African lionesses in Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

African lionesses in Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Happy National Girlfriends Day! (Relax, lazy boyfriends. It’s for girls who are friends. You don’t need to run out and buy flowers. Actually, go ahead and do that anyway.) Lionesses make terrific girlfriends. They form the foundation of the pride. They help rear each other’s cubs, they protect the pride, and they do the majority of the hunting. These three are sticking close together in the grasslands of Kenya’s protected Masai Mara Reserve. The males? Probably sleeping in the shade somewhere.