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litter of little lions

on Sep 30, 2013

A beautiful morning in the bush, greeted by the sight of the Kruger male and one of the Southern Pride lionesses and her cubs. We had literally driven 300 metres out of Bush Lodge when we found them all sleeping next to the road and the rambunctious cubs played with a log. They pounced all over it as if it were a full grown buffalo and only once they felt they had killed it did they return to their mother. They moved off following their mother with the Kruger male following a little way behind.

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As the Kruger male moved along he began to roar, sending vibrations straight through all of the guests that were in the vehicle. The mother again lay to rest and the cubs played around her, stopping only to try and get some milk from mom. Eventually she succumbed to the pressure and lay there as the two little ones fought for a nipple. The sounds of the fighting cubs suddenly stopped as the milk started to flow. The bush suddenly went silent with only the birds calling and the soft suckling sounds of the cubs.

The silence was broken though when the Kruger male broke out into full voice again as he asserted his dominance over the pride and the area. We followed them all until eventually they joined with another small group from the Southern Pride.

After an hour with the lions we left them all sleeping off the buffalo calf from the night before and went off on our merry way. I was so excited to have seen the little ones as this was the first time I had had the opportunity and I have to say it was worth the wait! I hope these two make it through the trying next 9 months but with mortality rates being what they are it will be interesting to see if they both make it.

Litter Of Little Lions 6
  • BY: RICHARD DE GOUVEIA (LITTLE BUSH CAMP RANGER)
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