KNP: Baboon troop steal and adopt lion cub
A male baboon that was filmed carrying a lion cub up the trees left many South Africans in awe over the 'once in a lifetime' sighting in the Kruger National Park.
A lion cub is believed to have died after it was stolen and adopted by a troop of baboons in the Kruger National Park.
Social media was abuzz after a video of a male baboon tending a young lion cub went viral on Saturday.
A safari guide, Kurt Schultz, captured a video of a male baboon grooming a lion cub in the Kruger National Park and shared it with Latest Sightings.
Latest Sighting Managing Director, Nadav Ossendryver, told the Herald that the cub was killed by lack of nutrition.
Read: VIDEO: SANParks lion cub ‘tackles’ a massive buffalo
“In essence, what would have killed the cub was lack of milk. The cub needs milk to survive and so it would have eventually wanted milk. The baboons most probably aren’t going to be able to provide the cub with that and plus, the baboon was a male,” stated Ossendryver.
Schultz, from Kurt Safari, was lucky to see this once in a lifetime’ sighting hailed as ‘Rafiki and Simba’ while on his way to a meeting in Skukuza.
“Before the meeting, I decided to enter the park early to do some photography – a hobby and passion of mine,” Schultz told Latest Sightings.
He said he drove on the S21, one of the roads near Skukuza when he came across a troop of restless baboons. It was early morning and it is not uncommon for baboons to behave in this manner, Schultz said.
Read: BREAKING: Lion allegedly on the loose in the Phalaborwa-area
“They probably came across the lion cub in the early morning on their way to forage for food,” said Schultz.
“I first thought it was a female baboon but it was in actual fact a young male baboon. The young baboon crossed the road and climbed up a marula tree. I waited for about 30 min before it came into view and was moving from tree to tree. The rest of the troop then moved away and the baboon was grooming and caring for the lion cub as if this was a young baboon.”
“It is normal for a troop of baboons to kill young leopard and even lion, however after 20 years of being a guide, this is the first time I have seen a baboon nurturing and caring for a young predator cub,” Schultz told Latest Sightings.
