While on safari in Kruger Park in South Africa, Kruger safari guides capture a surprise sights that leave them wowed but there was nothing they could do but let nature take its course. A young male baboon steals a lions cub, then grooms, carrys and cares for the cub as if it was a young Baboon.
The male baboon carried the small cub around, climbing into a nearby tree and grooming and caressing the little cub as he might have done with a young member of his troop.
“Kruger safari guides have been in the region the footage was filmed and there has been no sign of the baboons or the Lion cub again, its rain season in Kruger and the vegetation is thick and grass long, when the baboons move away from the road in the grass it’s not easy to see them or the possibility of seeing the cub again. As much as we realize it might be hard to watch and might be cruel, Human interaction with wildlife in the Kruger national park or most wildlife reserves globally is not something that happens unless it is caused by Humans, in this case nature was acting normally and the strongest and fittest survive, Lions growing up pose a threat to Baboons when older. Kurt safari or our guides are not permitted to intervene, any park ranger would not intervene is such a situation as what was happening was totally natural, we shared this as it was something not normally seen or captured on camera.” Kurt Safari Company Explains
“I don’t see a chance of this poor cub surviving, the troop of baboons was large and a lion would not be able to get the young back, Nature is cruel at most times and survival of young Predator cubs is not easy , the Lion cub poses a threat to the baboons when the lions gets older.” A guide explains
According to Kurt, the photographer “This will remain one of my most interesting sightings. Naturally, one cares for the lion cub and would want it to grow up and live a wild and free life, but nature has its own ways, and we cannot get involved. We need to keep Kruger simple and wild – true to the wishes of Stevenson Hamilton: that nature should wander freely, and people remain in their vehicles.”
Photo Credit: FB: Kurt Schultz, Kurt Safari Company
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