Recently a local nursery school and aftercare received a visit from an unusual trio.
Alicia Marx, daughter of the owners of the Bob and Wendy Nursery School and Aftercare Centre in Randgate, is currently raising three brown lion cubs voluntarily while studying. When the cubs are three or four months of age they will be returned to the farm where they were born and be sold to private game farm owners.
Alicia came up with the idea to introduce the nursery school pupils to her fluffy friends. The first big cat they met was Kira, the white lion. The children did not just have an opportunity to meet her and learn more about her, they are growing with her. Such a strong bond formed between Kira and the children that she visited the school often.
After raising Kira successfully, Alicia received three brown lion cubs to take care of. Two of them are sisters named Macey and Mika, while the third cub is called Cruiser. These cubs, who left their mothers to be raised by Alicia, are currently only two months old.
“They are ridiculously loving and friendly; they are always playful and ready for attention,” said Alicia.
On Thursday, 4 August this trio paid their first visit to the nursery school, and it was amazing. Imagine the colourful surroundings of a nursery school playground, the laughter of small children, and three four-legged pals running around, enjoying the attention of the little humans.
When Rico Steenekamp, who has Down syndrome, arrived for after school care, the cubs were more than happy to spread their love to him too. The entire playground was continuously filled with the chatter and laughter of children exploring wild animals up close.
Both Christa Marx, who owns the nursery school with her husband, and Alicia, believe this to be a great (although rare) opportunity for young children to interact with wild animals, and Alicia aims to continue exposing each litter to the nursery school children in order to teach them about conserving wild life and the importance of looking after them.
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