A baboon found a little lion cub in the Kruger National Park and attempted to care for it, leaving everyone speechless.
Skukuza, South Africa (03 February 2020) – Kurt Schultz from Kurt Safari, captured this once in a lifetime sighting on Saturday the 1st of Feb 2020 while on his way to a meeting in the Kruger National Park. The sighting has had many commenting on how it reminded them of the Lion King. However, the real-life moment has a powerful message about nature.
Kurt shared his sighting with Latest Sightings Kruger.
“I had a meeting at Skukuza, one of the camps, for Kurt Safari on Saturday, so I was in the Kruger for the morning. Before the meeting, I decided to enter the park early to do some photography – a hobby and passion of mine.”
“I drove onto the S21, one of the roads near Skukuza where I came across a troop of baboons being restless. Being early morning this is relatively common, but then I noticed a baboon carrying something and the rest of the troop were interested in that baboon. The baboon was not visible and I spent some time at the sighting as I was told it was possibly a lion cub.”
“Knowing the area, I know there are cubs present in the area lately and being early morning, and close to a granite rock face, I suppose the baboon troop rested during the evening on the rocks. They probably during the early morning moved down to start their day foraging for food came across the hidden Lion cub.”
“I first thought it was a female baboon but it was in actuality a young male baboon. The young baboon crossed the road and climbed up a marula tree. I waited for about 30 min before it came into view and was moving from tree to tree, the rest of the troop then moved away and the baboon was grooming and caring for the lion cub as if this was a young baboon.”
“I spent about 1 hour at the sighting and decided to leave as I had a meeting at 9 am. It is normal for a troop of baboons to kill young leopard and even lion, however after 20 years of guiding this is the first time I have seen a baboon nurturing and caring for a young predator cub.”
It is not uncommon to see animals caring for others. Leopards have been seen sitting with Impala calves, licking and playing with them.
The important thing to remember is that nature is pure and never cruel. It comes down to survival of the fittest. There is always a balance in nature. Everything in nature is done for survival.
Sadly, later in the day, it was confirmed on the Latest Sightings App that the lion cub didn’t survive.
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