Few things in the wild are as poignant as a lion finding a newborn cub for the first time.
Wild Wonders of EuropeThe Kruger National Park is one of the most spectacular stretches of African wilderness: a landscape of lush grasslands and shimmering rivers teeming with exotic beasts.
This extraordinary scene will unfold in Kruger: a lion may find a cub for the very first time, nurturing it, nudging it to safety.
The lion will also teach the cub to hunt, defend itself and survive the dangers of the wild.
Bonding Moments: The Lion’s Care the Newborn Cub
Looking at the completely innocent little cub, the instinct of the lion awakens: it approaches the newborn carefully and delicately.
Grooming and washing become the most important mutual activities with which, in the wild, the lioness cares for her offspring and, at the same time, the cub learns the most important things.
And, as the cub watches, it also learns the intrinsic value of grooming and other social interactions.
It is by learning from its mother during this phase that the cub will become a valuable member of the pride.
The Challenges of Motherhood
There are dangers in wild motherhood. The lioness must be vigilant against threats to her cub.
If something seems amiss, she acts in the interests of her little one, whether the threat is another predator or a sleeping cobra.
The cub is dependent on the lioness’s protective instincts, entirely vulnerable until they are old enough to fend for themselves.
The lion and her cub must learn to coexist amid this dangerous, chaotic wilderness.
And as it begins to intensify, we realise that the lioness is as protective a mother as she is a hunter.
Growing Up: Learning the Ways of the Wild
The cub, growing larger and bolder with every day, is taken by the mother farther out to explore, to play, to wonder and to learn. She teaches the cub about the various creatures who live in the ecosystem, and how to interact with them respectfully if they’re not a threat or good to eat.
These lessons on survival – methods for bringing down a prey animal, ways to avoid danger, where to find water – would be waiting for her cubs in the brush when it’s time for them to emerge from the den.
But learning doesn’t stop there. The cub also learns about the social structure of the pride, whom to acknowledge as pack-leader, and where it stands with respect to the others.
This kind of socialisation is equally important for its future life in the pride as the instinctive knowledge about survival.
The Circle of Life: From Cubs to Kings
The plight of the lion and her cub is one of the heart-rending depictions of the animal kingdom’s circle of life.
As the cub grows, he’ll join the pride, leading his own life and making his own choices, but his formative experiences bring with them lessons he’ll carry until he, too, becomes a father.
The lioness and her cub grow close in every moment they spend together but, as in most parent-child relationships, their relationship is shaped by a gradual parting of the ways leading inevitably into independence.
This mother-cub relationship stands as a symbol of the strength of nature, the underlying pulse of life in the wild.
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