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Vultures surrounded us. T ey were looking at something hidden in


the tall grass. My team and I were looking, too. We were all looking for lions. Beep, beep, beep. We heard the


sound of a tracking device. T e loud, steady sound was coming from radio collars. Lions were nearby. We didn’t know exactly where the


lions were lurking with their radio collars. As we moved forward, we saw three, dead antelopes on the ground. T e lions must be very near. T ey would not have leſt behind their prey.


Moving Closer T at’s when we saw four lions hiding


in the bushes. T ey were resting aſt er killing their prey a few hours earlier. Antelopes are beautiful. I was sad


to see their bodies. Yet my team and I saw this scene as a good sign. It meant that things were getting back to normal here. My team and I were in Gorongosa


National Park in Africa. We came here to study the animals and plants living in the park. We didn’t know what we would find. A long war had killed much of the park’s wildlife.


12 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER


A Look Back T ings were diff erent 50 years ago.


Back then, Gorongosa thrived. It was one of the largest and most famous national parks in Africa. T ousands of animals lived here. T en war broke out. T e park


was no longer protected. Soldiers fought battles here. Poachers roamed the land, killing animals. Nearby villagers had to hunt for food in the park. One by one, the rhinos, elephants, antelopes, and many other animals disappeared. T e park had been destroyed. It seemed that there was nothing that could fix it. T en 10 years ago, a team of


scientists were asked to bring the park back. My job, and that of the other scientists, was to figure out the best way to do that.


a lion


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