En route to the Ntsevu Pride and their cubs, I unexpectedly encountered a lone lioness striding purposefully away from the group. Swiftly discerning the weight of her milk pouch and the prominence of her teats, I couldn’t shake the inkling that she was on a mission to retrieve her cubs and guide them back to the pride.
In a matter of minutes, she emitted a gentle contact call, and from the nearby vegetation sprang forth three adorable cubs. The mother warmly greeted them, then pivoted, leading the trio back the way she had come, their tiny paws following in perfect sync.
Anticipating that the lioness would likely reunite her cubs with the rest of the pride, I took a calculated detour, positioning myself ahead to patiently await their arrival instead of navigating the challenging thickets alongside them.
As expected, the entourage emerged from the bushes, proceeding directly toward the awaiting pride. What ensued was a delightful spectacle of the entire pride lounging in the dappled shade, interspersed with playful bouts, before we respectfully continued on our way, leaving the lions to relish their familial bonds undisturbed.
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How special it is to see new cubs! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for watching.
Wat are all those bumps or patches of missing fur on the lions, the older cub had it also? Is it from flies?
It is mange, which is caused by a mite when the animal is stressed. Either nutritional stress or just stress in general. They will recover from it and it is not a death sentence.
Wonderful video and news of these little cubs that look full of energy and promise so well! And how sweet to watch the interactions between members of the pride. Let’s hope that they live well and survive to become new forces of the Ntsevu pride
Thank you, Francesca. I hope that they survive and we can watch them grow up and thrive.
Sean, thanks for the video. It was wonderful to see the lion cubs being introduced to the pride.
You are welcome, William. I am glad you enjoyed it.
Absolutely fantastic sighting! Thanks for sharing! Small cubs are so very special, and it looks like they will integrate well.
I think they will integrate well. They are just a little bit slower than the rest of the pride so they often get left somewhere by the mother and then she will return to collect them, just as she did in this video.
Hi Sean, that was absolutely amazing to see those three tiny cubs walking with mom, and even better when mom took them over to the pride. Everyone seems to be quite okay with the three little cubs. Lions love to touch one another when greeting and it is so wonderful to see them interacting with one another. Super video Sean.
Watching lions on the move or interacting is always great.
Wish I was there experiencing it fully – I love every single blog and live vicariously from here in cold and miserable Minnesota – miss the bushveld so badly. Hot and humid sounds lovely. Here it is minus 20 Centigrade.
I am glad you enjoyed this so much. Geepers, that is cold there. We have the complete opposite of that right now.
wow! growing pride! lovely!
The pride is definitely growing.
Hi Sean,
As always it was great to see little cubs, and these three looked to be strong and healthy. I was surprised to note that it seemed there were fewer older cubs in this clearing, as I recall each of the other 4 females had anywhere from 2-4 cubs each, creating quite a sight as they moved through the bush. Perhaps some of those older ones were out of camera range, or their numbers have diminished due to natural causes. Anyway, terrific video and story this week, and I must comment on how the emerald green grasses compliment the golden coats of the lions.
It is always great to see cubs, especially moving around like this with their mother. Basically all the females, except one gave birth, some lost their cubs and so now there are 13 cubs. The bush is looking amazing, we have had a decent amount of rain and so everything is lush and green.
These cubs are absolutely adorable ! So cute how they run behind and in front of their mother and greet the rest of the big family. The Ntsevu pride is indeed thriving and becoming really very big with so many young cubs. It’s so nice to see how they are growing from one week to the next.
The cubs are so cute and watching them move about is awesome. The Ntsevu Pride is thriving at the moment.
Wow, what a sighting!!