I was beading yesterday and I had Animal Planet on and I was listening to an amazing story that was airing about a young lioness in the Samburu Reserve in Kenya, Africa. Her story was is so unique and I was so moved by it, it was so amazing I have to share it.
Briefly she is a lone lioness without a pride and she has adopted an orphaned Oryx Antelope calf. Oryx are prime prey to Lions and her behavior makes this story, this Lioness so extrodinary and unbelivable. The people have named her Kamunyak which means "blessed one". She is unable to feed the calf as it is not yet weaned off it's mother and seeks milk. Except for that fact of not being able to provide milk to the calf, Kamunyak steps completely into the role as mother for this calf. She doesn't let it out of her site and they interact very intimately with each other normally as mother and calf.
Since a little over a week with the calf, neither Oryx or Lioness have eaten. The community tries to intervene and throws the starved Lioness some meat which she refuses to eat. Her behavior is so unbelievable. The researcher following the pair, Saba Douglas-Hamilton comments on how it is only time that will tell the fate of the starving pair.
Nearing just over 2 weeks Saba is struggling to keep up in the thick brush and spots the dazed and weary pair. For the first time, Kamunyak lets the calf wander just out of sight as she rests in the shade. Then to every one's complete horror there is a terrible noise and an adult male Lion has snuck up on and ambushed the small calf. The calf is bleating and wailing and it is so gut wrenching to watch. Kamunyak immediately jumps up and can do nothing but watch as her calf is stolen away.
I was so incredibly heart sick over watching this sequence. I felt physically sick as I watched Kamunyak helplessly cower in fear. Lioness's often loose young cubs to adult male lions, but just knowing that this Lion had litterally "laid with the lamb" had brought more intense feelings of sorrow and loss.
The narrator then noted that Kamunyak was seen making a kill shortly after losing her calf. And if this story wasn't extrodinary enough, she was seen to adopt another five or six orphaned Oryx calves over the next several years, none of them having lived as long with her as the first calf. She has not been spotted since Feb 2004. I believe this is to air again on Animal Planet later in Feburary.
Here is a site that has clips from the show. Begin with The First Encounter. Click the orange play icon where it says, next video.
