Kuala Lampur, March 9 -- Some years ago, during a visit to Zimbabwe, I had the opportunity to go on a safari. It was early morning when our vehicle entered the open savannah. The air was cool and still, and the rising sun stretched long shadows across the grasslands.

Not far from the dirt track, we came across a small pride of lions resting beneath a scattered acacia tree. They appeared calm and completely unhurried. Occasionally one would lift its head, observe the surroundings briefly, and then settle back again. There was nothing dramatic about the scene. No roaring, no chase, no display of power. Yet their quiet presence carried a certain authority, as though the landscape itself acknowledged their place within it.

Watching them in ...