We left camp with the distant sound of lions roaring in the south eastern parts of the reserve, an area where the Ntsevu pride has been dominant for some time now. With the cold air whisking past our ears and the sun just starting to peek over the horizon, our excitement was starting to build. We stopped on an open crest to listen for any further call. We were in luck, the calls of more than one lion, synchronised to make the force of the call even louder.
En route in that direction, Shadrack could see tracks of a single lioness in the road. Upon closer inspection it was in fact the mother lioness and her five cubs tracks, as the young ones followed their mother down the road, occasionally stopping to play with each other. With experienced and trained eyes, Shadrack deciphered the entire story of what the lions had been doing, from where they were playing and chasing each other, to all the scuff marks from all the rough and tumble amongst them. Shadrack also noticed where the mother had stopped to rest. With the help of Shadrack I was able to picture the scene in my head.
A lioness in the distance staring across the grass at the vehicle, I never managed to get a photo at the time.
A little further down the road Shadrack and I were off the vehicle trying to establish what direction the tracks were going. No sooner had we began tracking did my guest, who no more than 30m behind us started calling from the vehicle, “Guy, Guy, there’s a lioness behind us”. Turning around, we saw a lioness about 150m away in an open clearing of soft tawny coloured grass, staring straight in our direction. Keeping our excitement at bay we calmly climbed back into the vehicle and approached the lioness to get a closer view. This was a spectacular sighting with the beautiful golden light shining on her as she moved through the grassy open clearing.
Appearing as though she had stopped to do a tally, making sure all five cubs were accounted for.
At this point in time we still had no sign of the cubs as the grass was long enough to keep them hidden. We parked the vehicle at a distance and watched anxiously to see if we could see the grass moving in her trail. This would be a clear indication that the cubs were with her. A few moments later we noticed a tuft of grass move close behind her, and finally we knew that she had the cubs trailing a few meters behind her.
Play is an integral part of lion cubs’ development, whether it be with their siblings or their mother, it is a challenge to resist an opportunity to jump on to one another.
Running ahead in single file in front of their mother straight towards us, as if the cubs knew where they were supposed to be going. Sometimes it is hard to believe that something so small and cute will turn into such an incredibly efficient and effective force.
We were ecstatic as we watched this lioness lead her five cubs out onto the road where we could experience our first clear view of the cubs. She stopped momentarily, almost to see if they were all still following, and then proceeded to walk straight down the road in our direction. The grass on either side of the road created a channel for the cubs as they moved down the road. There was silence on the vehicle as we watched them bounding down the road in front of their mother, confident in her protector right behind them.
Eventually coming to rest in a dry river bed, the mother tried to sleep while some of the cubs continued to run amok around her.
We followed them as they moved off the road and down towards the Maxabene dry river bed. With dappled light breaking through the canopy of the trees, they had enough shade to move into during the hotter parts of the day. At this point in the day they were still making the most of the warmth of the morning rays. Cubs of this age aren’t used to walking long distances and tire fairly quickly. We were not too sure how long or how far they had been walking before we found them but some of them did appear to be enjoying the rest. Some of the cubs continued to play while others followed suit of their mother.
Two of the cubs started playing with one another for well over 15 minutes, stalking and chasing each other in the sand. These cubs are growing with confidence as each day goes by and it’s incredible to watch.
A small swat from one of the cubs triggered a reaction and they started chasing each other again running around the female and back into the clear view in front of us. The scene was breathtaking.
It wasn’t long before all six of them were settled down and resting in the comfort of their mother’s care.
This blog story is a real gift! I hope all five cubs survive it is a difficult task for the mother. Moving photos and animal interactions
Thank you very much. We all hope for their survival.
Oh such super photos
They are just soooo cute! Great photos of the six of them, mother and cubs.
It’s great to watch these little ones growing into very efficient adults. Well, it still takes a lot of time, of course.
Guy, congratulations on such a great sighting. Clearly your patience, perseverance, and a little luck, paid off! We look forward to seeing and hearing more about this family, and it will be exciting to watch them grow up. Thanks again for a great post!
Thanks very much Michael and Terri, hopefully more will come soon when they come back on to our property.
Great account of what was I’m sure a great sighting Guy! Am curious about something. A number of the Ntsevu females have birthed five cubs in the past, while it seems many other prides’ females normally have the typical 2-4 cubs. Is there something genetically predisposing the Ntsevu females to having so many in one litter, or do you think it is possible other lionesses elsewhere do have five cubs sometimes but not all make it?
Hi Michael, in the previous litter not many of them birthed 5, in fact a number of them birthed the usual 2-4 cubs but we believe it was the same female who birthed 5 in the previous litter. It may be something genetical about this female and her being more fertile and being able to produce more eggs while copulating as lions are induced ovulates and only produce eggs while mating.
So happy to have been your guest for this incredible experience!
Always such a great time with the both of you.
Absolutely wonderful! A morning with lion cubbies is just pure fun!
Oh so precious these 5 little cubs, absolutely gorgeous. They all look well feed and very lively playing with one another. It seems to me when mom stops she is counting them to make sure all 5 are there. Nature is so beautiful and us human beings , we can learn so much from nature. Thanks Guy very good sighting and much appreciated.
I certainly do believe we can learn so much from nature. Their material instinct is just incredible.
Hi there, Guy. We both think that the Mom here is a really beautiful lioness! She looks to be in very good condition indeed with a really lovely coat. The cubs are, as usual, great fun and a pain to their Mom who was trying hard to have a snooze! Well done. Lovely pics. Wendy M
Enchanting! All 5 cubs look healthy, but her teats must be very sore.
Is the female continuing to stay away from the rest of the pride? If so, is this unusual? Who is the father, perhaps not one of the Birminghams?
She has had brief interaction with some of the younger pride members but she is still keeping them away from the pride. If she were to join the pride the cubs would not be able to get food as they would be outcompeted by the adult lions. It has nothing to do with the whom the father is but more to do with their survival. The young males in the pride may also pose a threat to the cubs.
Guy, wonderful sightings of the lioness and her five cubs. It had to be a very satisfying experience for you and your guests.
Great story and photos and so nice to see that the runt appears to have caught up with her siblings. So worried she wouldn’t survive.
What a marvelous story and photos. Can’t wait to see these beauties in person in a few months.
That lioness is so relaxed with the vehicle that she knows you mean no harm to her or her cubbies. How fortunate that you all got a chance to see this lioness with her five trotting behind her.
We are spoilt with the viewing here and over the years have built up such a strong relationship and trust that they are completely relaxed and comfortable with us being near to them and their cubs.
Well Guy and Shadrack, skill and patience paid off once again. What a fantastic sighting for all of you. I can’t think of any better than sitting and watching five little cubs playing and interacting with each other in addition to their mom. I can see why she looks tired – feeding them as well finding food for herself. Hopefully she’ll have some help soon when she rejoins the pride. Thank you for sharing this special blog.
Thank you Denise, I trust you keeping well. I don’t know how soon she will rejoin as it would be a big disadvantage to the cubs. She seems to be handling very well on her own at this point in time.
The lioness looks so radiant and healthy. It is hard to believe those cute little fuzz balls will become powerful killing machines someday. Here’s hoping for their survival. 🤞🏼
Great sighting–congrats.
I may have missed this but, are the cubs eating some of their mother’s captures?
Hope to see this group in 4 weeks!
Yes, they are feeding on meat already, they started almost a month ago.
These photos of a Mother Lion and her cubs were just lovely! What a perfect photo set of a great example of such a gentle take on such a strong, ferosious force in the Animal Kingdom!
Although I am a couple of days late reading this blog, I have no doubt that I am viewing it at the perfect time, as today is my birthday. Seeing lion cubs on any day is special, but today is a gift.
The tiny tykes are JUST TOO CUTE! WHAT JOY!! ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS ONE OF A KIND PICTURES!
Thank you Guy!
Wow so exciting, absolutely wonderful pictures!
I have been super busy with dreaded paper work this past week, so Im finally getting a chance to catch up on the Blog…and what a great way to reconnect with Londo and your wonderful time spent with Mum and the cubs Guy.
She is certainly doing a sterling job of caring for cubs and I do hope that all five will survive when she finally joins up with the Pride again. Look forward to more news of them from you Guy.
Incredible light! Would have been so difficult to spot the perfectly camouflaged cubs in the matching grasses.
A really nice blog Guy and loved the pics of Mum and her 5 cuties. I hope and pray they all make it to adulthood. Thanks for sharing. Glad you are welcoming guests back – it’s been a long haul for everyone. Stay safe.