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Kirst Joscelyne

Ranger

At less than a year old, Kirst went to her family’s hut in the Greater Kruger National Park, and has been fortunate enough to continue to go there ever since. Sharing a passion for the bush with her family, led to countless trips ...

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18 Comments

on Curiosity Nearly Killed the Cat: The Tsalala Female and a Rhino Bull

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Oh my, what a sighting! The whole story of the Tsalala female has the makings of a wonderful children’s book about resilience. I’m glad she was able to “play” with this rhino without either of them getting hurt. Must be nice to be so large you can have a lion sniff your bum without worrying if it’ll take a bite. 😂

This is precisely why we chose to get a very tall greyhound when we introduced a dog into our single-cat family. We knew she’d try to hunt a small dog. All’s well that ends well.

Kirst, What a unique encounter. We are sure that Tsalala was looking for a friend! She must be lonely! Great video!

Senior Digital Ranger

I feel so sad for the Tsalala lioness, wish she had a friend

AWWWW! Poor girl’s just looking for a friend! He didn’t seem to mind much thankfully! So his horn is sawed off for his safety I imagine, but wonder if they know it…like the bigger the horn, the greater the bull kinda thing??

The most memorable moment for us at Londolozi … this encounter with the Tsalala female adult … thanks to Kirst

What an amazing sighting to see especially to see her again where you had seen her as a young cub all those years ago!

What a curious interaction between these two! Just as someone said, it’s almost as if she wants some company. Let’s hope the Skorro male finds her soon!

Amazing as usual!

This is really the most amazing video! She seems to be a bit lonely indeed trying to make friends with rhino.
I love this lioness and do hope for her to be able to mate with one of the lions. However, it will certainly not be easy to bring up lion cubs in the middle of all those other prides.

What a hilarious, super, fantastic video! I giggled at the persistent wish of the Tsalala female to make friendship, she acts more like a cub, so naive and sweet! She reminds me of Lady Liuwa, who was the only lioness left in Liuwa plains, and had targeted the researcher as her friend, sleeping close to his tent. When they tried to reintroduce more lions she wasn’t happy at all! In the end she adapted to the situation. It would be really great if the lonely Skorro young male could approach her, but it seems she’s quite scared of male lions… never say never. Thanks Kirst!

My goodness Kirst she is really feeling lonely to be so brave and even touch the rhino on it’s back. She is looking for company and I loved the way that she kept on lying down near the rhino seeking friendship. She is a formidable lioness and I hope that she can mate with one of the males and have cubs of her own. Starting her own family will bring lots of joy to hear and us who know what she has been through these 4 years.

Senior Digital Ranger

I love this dear lioness – as I did her mother. She’s had such a difficult life to-date. It was the saddest day when she lost her mum. I pray good fortune comes her way. She deserves it and more. God bless her. Any recent sightings?

Thank Lisa, we have been seeing her quite regularly in the Sand River in front of the camps and in the northern parts of the reserve.

Kirst, your story today and video were especially poignant. You know how much I love the Tsalala female and seeing her look strong and healthy is a testament to her survival skills as a single lioness. Whilst we can’t anthropomorphize, it would seem she is lonely and just looking for a friend to hang out with. Unfortunately, a rhino bull is not a good choice, although he wasn’t especially aggressive towards her. Hopefully she will meet up with a male (Skorro would be an excellent choice but his long term chances of remaining in the area are not that great) and have cubs to nurture as her mother did. I am looking forward to further reports on Tsalala, especially the one that announces she’s pregnant!

Senior Digital Ranger

Thank you for this lovely update on the Tsalala female, she certainly is a beautiful lioness and proving to be very resilient. I hope she finds a companion soon.

Wow Kirst, that was a crazy encounter! I really love this lioness, and she continues to be such a brave and interesting animal. And such a character!!

Thank you for the update on the lonely Tsalala female. Will she know how much we care and love her? We eagerly await her updates and are excited to see her every time. Probably only emptiness and loneliness were her friends. Be patient and strong, one day it will be your day.

Senior Digital Ranger

Fabulous footage! So endearing and heartbreaking at the same time. She has an amazing soul. We are going to learn a great deal from this lady. Love this girl so much.

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