Africa Wild

It’s been a while since three furry little creatures caused as much hype and made national news, but Addo Elephant National Park’s lion cubs proved they were extraordinary by surviving on their own without mom, Gina, for weeks.
It’s suspected Gina died of a snake bit, orphaning the three. It also appears as if the other lioness, Josie, took them in and cared for them until she had cubs of her own. The siblings were last photographed by a guest in mid-December – looking terribly thin and withered. Posted on Facebook, the pics garnered widespread interest and concern, which saw people coming into the Park specifically to look for the trio and offering their services in the search for them. Local and national print and broadcast media also closely followed developments, appealing to visitors and prospective visitors to report any sightings to the Park’s conservation staff.
A number of leads were received, which saw dedicated staff follow up on each one in the hope of finding the youngsters alive. Conservation Manager, John Adendorff, even spent time in the air conducting aerial searches for the siblings. Days of searching yielded no results, and the search was eventually called off early in the new year. Adendorff predicted they wouldn’t have been able to survive and fend for themselves for longer than four weeks. Staff and friends of the Park were devasted.
But on the afternoon of Saturday 10 January, a new spark was lit when a Gorah guide alerted rangers that he may have spotted the three. Although sceptical, they still went out and miraculously found them – albeit severely malnourished and lethargic. News of their survival travelled fast, as good news does, and turned what was a bleak start to the new year into one with renewed hope.
The cubs were darted and placed in a boma, where they received immediate medical attention.

Now about nine months old, the one male (Samson) and two females (Lara and Shireen), will spend the next few months in a camp to grow and perfect their hunting skills, before they’re ready to be set free in a larger area. Their futures will only be decided then – whether or not to keep them in Main Camp, move them to another section of Addo or relocate them to another park.