Well, our pregnant lioness from the Ross breakaway duo has indeed given birth to cubs after sporting a very heavy belly about a month ago. We reported seeing her on numerous occasions indulging in some buffalo and then some warthog with her sister and a third unknown lioness. The Trilogy males have mated with both the breakaway Ross females in the past, and it is assumed that the pregnant lioness was carrying some young Trilogy blood in her womb.
About 2 weeks ago, guests at nThambo Tree Camp were treated to something incredibly special the lioness emerged from the dry, winter vegetation carrying a tiny bundle in her mouth. It is a rare sight to see lionesses during this very intimate period of motherhood, but the relaxed state of these 2 lionesses around our game viewers has resulted in some exceptional sightings indeed!
A guest from nThambo Tree Camp (Pat Saunders from the USA) had her camera at the ready when the new mother came into sight carrying one of her tiny cubs in her mouth. She would have been moving her babies to a new den site, just to keep predators off their scent.
A ‘lying up’ period is endured by lion cubs (among other baby animals) at the start of their lives in which time they remain hidden from the world while they continue to develop. Their mother will visit them at the den site and feed them and groom them until they are old enough to emerge into the wild. They are at incredibly high risk, and a lion cub’s mortality rate is 50%, so it only has half a chance of surviving to adulthood. Last year in November, the second Ross breakaway lioness gave birth to cubs and we managed to see them briefly before they must have died. nThambo guide, Luan Oosthuizen, managed to capture these photos of the previous cubs born.
Luckily, since this initial sighting, we have had a second sighting of the lioness with her 2 cubs! Once again, she was seen carrying the little one in her mouth and was busy moving them to yet another den site. Jacques Briam, guide at nThambo Tree Camp, managed to glimpse the lioness through the bush and took a photo – evidence that her cubs are still alive and well. Watch this space and on Africa on Foot and nThambo Tree Camp Facebook pages for updates!
Brenda Quatember