Tag: Lion

Lion ignores a potential wildebeest buffet to tend to its ‘lost’ cubs

Adorable video from South Africa shows the mother lion calling in her six missing cubs while the prey nervously look on.

Despite a herd of wildebeest nearby, a mother lion made no effort to chase prey, instead concentrating on calling her “missing” cubs to her so she could provide them with dinner.

The adorable video was captured by Jaco Joubert, a guide with MalaMala Game Reserve in South Africa and shared by LatestSightings.

“She let out low-frequency contact calls, and the group and guide knew that if they followed her, they were going to be in for a treat,” LatestSightings stated. “She was heading from the open plains to a more thick, dense bush.

“Scanning the direction she was heading, it was extremely thick, and there was no movement to be seen. Mom picked up her pace, showing a look of nervousness on her face, perhaps due to the presence of other large game near where her babies were stashed. After waiting some time to see where mom was heading, the group began to get nervous that maybe the cubs were very well hidden. And when mom eventually reaches them, it might be too thick to see them.

“But just then, from the corner of the guide’s eye, he saw movement! It was a tiny lion cub, with the tufts of hair on his ears barely visible in the long grass. One, then two, then three, and they just kept coming until a total of six tiny cubs came running and calling in the cutest manner, trying to respond to their mom!

“The cubs looked like they were trying to say, ‘Here, mom, we are over here.’ They ran as fast as their short, tiny legs could take them. Mom found a comfortable place next to the road in the open and sat patiently for them. They were so excited at this point that they were jumping and hopping with a bounce in their step!

“As soon as they reached their mom, they tackled her and jumped on top of her! They wanted milk; they were like little kittens, purring and wagging their tails. Each of the little cubs fell perfectly into place as soon as mom turned on her side, and they began suckling. Not bothered by the group’s presence, mom and babies were having a moment of bonding and love.”

Photos courtesy of LatestSightings.

Watch: Jilted African lion pretends not to care; ‘That’s life’

A wildlife photographer has captured footage showing a male lion shrugging off a snub from a lioness as though he were too much of a king to care.

Can a male lion feel jilted by a lioness? In a sense, perhaps.

The accompanying footage, captured by Yaron Schmid, shows an African lion anticipating affection from an approaching lioness, only to be ignored by the passing feline.

“Poor guy… just look at the disappointment on his face,” Schmid joked via Instagram.

That’s because the lion reveals no disappointment, instead holding his head high and gazing elsewhere as though pretending not to care.

Schmid, a photographer and safari guide, pounced on this theme. He added a fitting accompaniment from the legendary Frank Sinatra and clever text bubbles to enhance his post.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Mighty lion versus tiny crab – which is the king of beasts?

Amusing footage captured at Mala Mala Game Reserve shows the lion backing away after the crab opened its claws in a battle posture.

MalaMala Game Reserve in South Africa on Thursday shared an amusing clip showing a lion’s wary encounter with a ferocious-looking crab.

The lion is curious at first; comfortable enough to inspect the crab while lounging on the dirt.

But when the crab spreads its claws in a battle posture, the lion wants no part of the crustacean and rises to back away.

Among the comments beneath Mala Mala’s post was this from a user named TCB: “It’s the size of the heart that counts.”

Another reply: “The King is a little wary.”

Watch: Cunning move by lioness to steal male’s meal almost worked

When a hungry lioness saw a male lion eating from a carcass, she knew he wouldn’t share, so she came up with “an ingenious plan.”

When a hungry lioness saw a male lion eating from a carcass, she knew he wouldn’t share, so she became creative, coming up with “an ingenious plan.”

Safari guide Gareth van Rooyen captured the encounter near Kutali Camp at Classic Zambia Safaris, and shared footage with LatestSightings.com

Van Rooyen explained the encounter to LatestSightings.com:

“She knew there was no way she could overpower him to get to the food. She needed to get creative if she wanted any chance of getting a piece. So, she came up with an ingenious plan…

“She approached the male, which immediately caught his attention. There wasn’t much left on the carcass, and he had no intention of sharing any of it. Then, just before he was able to react, she acted on her master plan, gently flicking her tail against his face. This unexpected move stopped him in his tracks! She then got even closer, rubbing her head on his neck. The male lion was totally taken by her actions.

“Being in heat, she knew just what to do next. She presented herself in front of the male, who had now completely forgotten about the food just in front of him and was paralyzed in a moment of awe. This was the moment the lioness had been waiting for, and she quickly grabbed the carcass and darted off as fast as she could.”

She wasn’t fast enough, however. The surprised male lion quickly darted after the lioness and recaptured the carcass.

“Her disappointment was visible, while she walked off into the bush,’’ van Rooyen said.

Tourists fail to spot lion in ‘funny moment’ caught on video

The tourists seemed aware that a lion was close, but they had no idea how close.

A Kenya-based photographer on Thursday captured a “funny moment” involving two tourists hoping to spot a lion, seemingly unaware that a lion was standing immediately behind their truck.

Pareet Shah’s footage (posted below), captured in Maasai Mari National Reserve, shows the lion hidden from the men as they stood inside the vehicle and scanned the landscape.

Shah told FTW Outdoors that he did not know the tourists and explained:

“The sub-adult male lion from the Topi Pride came out from behind the bush and the tourists were scampering in their car looking for lions, not to realize there was one just behind their car! It was a funny moment.”

The vehicle belongs to Matoke Tours Africa and one of Shah’s followers commented, jokingly: “Welcome to Matoke Tours! We guarantee you will get very close with lions but you will not be able to see it!”

Matoke Tours was good-natured, sharing the clip via Instagram and writing: “Ehm… where did the lion go? Our travelers probably never imagined we would take them this close! Amazing shot by [Pareet Shah].”

Maasai Mara National Reserve is in southwestern Kenya. The Topi Pride is dominant in the Topi Plains region.

Watch: Rhino shows lion that ‘size matters at the waterhole’

Footage from South Africa shows a lion being forced by the rhino to wait its turn before approaching for a drink.

When a small watering hole is occupied by a large rhinoceros, even a mighty lion must wait its turn before approaching for a drink.

The accompanying footage, captured this week at Mala Mala Game Reserve in South Africa, shows a thirsty lion walking toward a watering hole, only to be rebuffed by a rhino.

“Size matters at the waterhole,” Mala Mala stated via X.

The wary lion was compelled to circle widely behind the rhino and wait for the larger animal to leave before approaching to sip water.

Mala Mala Game Reserve shares an unfenced border with sprawling Kruger National Park and lies within Sabi Sands Game Reserve.

Large animal encounters are fairly common for guests on photo safaris.

Video shows lion cub on joy ride with motorists; ‘Extremely wrong’

Footage shows the young lion in the back seat of a vehicle with its head out of the window on a busy Pakistan street.

Footage showing a lion cub riding in the back seat of a vehicle on a busy Pakistan street has garnered thousands of views and stirred plenty of anger.

The accompanying clips were featured on Instagram this week by Umbreen Ibrahim Photography.

The first clip, playing to “The Lion King” tune, Hakuna Matata, shows the lion with its head out of a window as the vehicle is moving. The lion appears content, but viewers can see that it wears a chain leash.

The second clip shows other motorists’ reaction to the lion as the vehicle is stopped at a red light. One asks about the lion’s name and receives the answer, “Mufasa.”

The Hindustan Times picked out the following comments for its story about the “shocking” video:

–An individual wrote, “Extremely wrong!”

–A second shared, “How can they do this, really sad. He deserves to have a family in the forest. Spare him.”

–“How is this even allowed?” posted another.

–A fourth commented, “How innocent is this child? Innocent poor soul.”

It’s unclear if lion is a pet or if it was being delivered somewhere. But what is clear is that Mufasa appears resigned to a life of captivity.

–Image courtesy of Umbreen Ibrahim Photography

Watch: Lion bites trailer tire, leaving tourists deflated

Footage has surfaced showing a lioness popping a trailer tire in Kruger National Park as a male lion watched curiously from alongside the road.

Earlier this year we shared footage showing a bull elk using its antlers to pop the tire of a vehicle driven by a tourist who had taunted the animal.

The “perfect response” event occurred in the Rocky Mountains.

On Thursday, footage surfaced showing a female lion biting the tire of a trailer being pulled by tourists in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

The footage, captured by Ryan Badenhorst and shared by Kruger Sightings, shows the lioness backing away as air hissed from the tire.

A male lion watched curiously from a resting position alongside the road.

It was unclear why the lioness bit the tire, or how the tourists dealt with the dangerous situation.

10 cool lion facts that show why they’re kings of the jungle

These cats are the mane attraction.

Even if you’re a huge fan of “The Lion King,” you may not realize just how prominent these animals are in pop culture. Way before movies featuring adorable cartoon lions sprang into existence, African, Asian, and European cultures were depicting the lion in sculptures and paintings. Discover why these powerful animals commanded so much attention.

If asked to describe a lion, the average person would likely mention the animal’s cat-like tail, golden fur, and fluffy mane. While these basic and broad characteristics accurately describe many lions, there is a world of additional details that make this species unique. Dive into those details in Outdoors Wire’s list of lion facts.

Watch: Momma lion tries to nap but cub is ‘having none of it’

A safari company in Kruger National Park has captured adorable footage showing a lion cub craving mom’s attention.

As all mothers know, when a child craves attention there is little time for rest.

The accompanying footage, captured by Nombekana Safaris and Wildlife Photography, shows a lion cub sweetly nudging a lioness, presumably its mom, as she tries to nap in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

Rodney Nombekana captioned the video: “Watch when lioness trying to sleep and the cub is having none of it.”

Among the top comments:

—“Motherhood… no matter the species is always the same.”

—“Delightful piece of film! Mum was so patient with the cub. Equally cub was needing her attention!”

—“Absolutely adorable! So amazing to see the playfulness of the cub. Great vid thank you.”

Nombekana’s tour company specializes in day trips and informs prospective guests on its website:

“Our safaris ensure that you maximize the time you have in the national park as we are the first in the park and last out. This is important as most animals especially the cats are active early morning and late afternoon and by driving with us your chances of seeing magic happen is increased tremendously.”