We were rewarded this afternoon with a beautiful sighting of a young lioness and her two 5 month old cubs moving along a dry riverbed, every so often the lioness would spot potential prey along the banks of the dry river bed, she made several attempts to stalk the prey but was unfortunately un successful. What struck me the most was how the behavior of the cubs changed from being carefree and playful, running and jumping on each other, wresting and climbing small trees, to crouching low and staying hidden as soon as the lioness attempted to stalk her prey, they seemed to instantly recognize her change in body language and dutifully followed suit.

She is a very intelligent cat and a steadfast mother who has amazingly kept her cubs alive and healthy against some daunting odds, I have no doubt that she will be successful in her efforts to provide for her cubs tonight.   

Story by: Ryan Roodt- Assistant Head Ranger Kapama River Lodge