Baboon Grooming and Caring for an Adorable Lion Cub Caught on Film
Safari operator Kurt Schultz has seen plenty of wild moments in Kruger Park, but one early morning sighting stopped him cold. A baboon was cradling a tiny lion cub, and the scene was so unusual that he immediately reached for his camera.
He was driving a safari vehicle with tourists when he spotted a troop of baboons, which is nothing out of the ordinary in the African reserve. Then one of them turned up holding the cub, and Kurt realized this was not a typical wildlife encounter.
What happened next was even stranger, because the baboon was not treating the cub like prey at all. Read on.
The baboon was seen carrying the lion cub around as though it were his own baby.
"The young baboon crossed the road and climbed up a marula tree; then he was grooming and caring for the lion cub as if it were a young baboon," Kurt said. "The males do a lot of grooming, but the care given was the same care a female would give to one of her own young."
He was grooming and caring for the cub.
"It happened so quickly," Kurt said. "I was quite anxious because I knew no one would believe me if I didn't get the footage."
And how lucky are we that Kurt managed to capture that footage! What a remarkable sight to see!
It was something Kurt had never seen before.
You can see the incredible footage below.
Watch as the baboon cradles the cub like his own baby. Such incredible and rare moments captured on film.
Sadly, although this is an adorable sight, Kurt says it's very likely that the lion cub would not have survived. It would not have been possible for the lion pride to take the cub back, and it would not have lived among the aggressive baboons.
But Kurt says that although it's sad, it is "100 percent natural." Mother Nature sure does work in mysterious ways!
"It was nature at its best," Kurt said. "It might seem cruel to us, but if this baboon hunts down a predator, it knows that in two years' time, the roles will be reversed if the lion gets its chance."
On the other hand, there are many different stories about animals taking on babies of another species as their own, and most of them do have happy endings!
Wait until you see the baby baboon tumble into a lioness’ lap, and her tear-evoking reaction.
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