…..Lion Cubs at Play…..
Yesterday on the Evening safari we were lucky enough to come across the pride of lions, always an interesting event in anyone’s diary!
While watching the adult lions lying around and being Lions, we saw how the cubs were playing with each other and rolling around in the dirt, making a nuisance of themselves to the adults.
One may think that they are just playing with each other, but in actual fact there is a deeper meaning behind all the commotion.
These lion cubs are learning how their muscles work. They learn which way their bodies can twist and bend and obviously which way they can’t! This “playful training” is all for the future when they are hunting those evasive impala or the powerful buffalo, “Speed” “Agility” and “Reaction Time” could mean the difference between having a meal or going hungry! And this they learn at a young age to give them the “edge” when they are older!
But, its not only lions that play in such a way, how do you think the “evasive impala” gets to be so “evasive”! All animals practise this kind of play to prepare them for a future in the possibly deadly African bush!
Tim
