What a sighting!

After the territorial take-over of the two male lion coalition from Pidwa-North a couple of months ago, one of the lionesses of the Zimbabwean pride was often seen on her own. She was hanging around the drainage line of Carcass pan on Makalali. We suspected this peculiar behaviour to be the sign of something special. We were right. Rams, a ranger from Makalali lodge, was the first one to see the tiny tracks around Carcass pan of three little lion cubs. We first did not believe him but two weeks ago other rangers had the first sighting of the female lioness with the 2 month old cubs around Hunters west. Our students also got a very quick glimpse of them before the mother lioness decided that all the commotion was enough for the youngsters and disappeared with them in tow into thick bush.

We did not see them again until yesterday when one of the Garonga lodge rangers found three adult lionesses eating from a freshly caught Blue Wildebeest. Suddenly one of the lionesses made a soft contact call and three cubs appeared from the bushes. They are around 2,5 months old. After class we immediately responded once we heard of the sighting. The scene we experienced will remain in our memories for a long time. The three lion cubs where at the Blue Wildebeest carcass and licking up the blood and possibly tiny fragments of meat while their mother and 2 aunts where watching over them. This would possibly be their first meat that they would eat and we were there to witness it! After the cubs lost interest in the carcass, they did what lion cubs do best; play. They were first stalking each other in the high grass and rolling over on top of each other. Also mother lion was involved in the games and played along beautifully. After that it was time for feeding again.

The mother lioness rolled over and soon 2 cubs where attached drinking her milk. What a sight! The sun was setting quickly and the mother decided it was time to leave. The bush is a dangerous place for little cubs and soon the Wildebeest carcass would attract other predators like hyena’s who find a half finished carcass irresistible. The lioness walked off with three cubs in tow behind her into the thick bush and we were left at the carcass alone but all with a smile on our face for the rest of the evening!

What a sighting!