Lion cub seeks help for dead mother in rare interaction with people

zwiebel

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A lion cub has led a ranger to the dead body of its mother, in what experts say is a very unusual act for a lion.

The lioness is thought to have been killed in a fight with water buffalo, and the cub also sat guard by her body, until the ranger returned with a team to remove her. Their home is in a sanctuary in Gir, Gujarat, India.

'Deputy Conservator of Forests in Gir, Anshuman Sharma, said the cub's behaviour was "rare" and "very peculiar" - something he had not encountered in his many years of watching lions.'

'Lion expert Yadvendra Dev Jhala of the Wildlife Institute of India told the BBC that he had never heard of a similar incident involving a lion cub.'

The cub is only 15 months old and they are totally dependent upon their mothers until age two or three. His mother appears to have been a loner too, so rangers are just keeping a careful eye on him, hoping he'll join a group and be taken under the wing of another lioness.

The dead lioness was called Rupa, meaning Beautiful One. :(

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-28751255
 
What a heart wrenching story, I hope the poor cub is taken into another group. There are so few wild animals left "in the wild", everyone is precious. ... ..:cat:
 

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