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NB-Photo β Father and son
#predators #african_lion #panthera_leo #bg_cats #africanamerican #carnivores #safari #wildlife #zambia #luangwa_valley
Published: 2019-12-22 01:01:20 +0000 UTC; Views: 412; Favourites: 34; Downloads: 0
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Description
While transfering to our next camp, we saw another pride of lions consisting of at least 10 animals.
Here, the sole youngster among them seeks comfort and reassurance from his dad who is happy to oblige.
South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
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Comments: 24
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A beautiful moment between father and son! It's sad that this guy is the sole cub in the pride, but I hope
there will be more cubs soon.
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Thank you for your comment. It was a bit sad, but we saw plenty of other lion cubs during our trip, if that is any comfort.
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You're very welcome! Yes, there is comfort to be had in knowing there were other prides that
you saw that had more cubs. Perhaps this pride was just having a bad season with the young
ones getting predated upon-- or maybe a recent change in power with a new male coming in
to the pride. I know new males kill off the young of the previous dominate male.
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I think whether or not new incoming males kill existing cubs depends on their age. The older they are, the more likely it is that the new boss spares them.
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Yes, this is very true. If the cubs are older, they probably won't be perceived as a threat and also the
new male doesn't need to kill the cubs to bring the females back into season for breeding. I heard that
somewhere, that this is another reason why any incoming males kill the cubs, as they want to breed
with the females as soon as possible. They aren't receptive with their cycle while they have cubs. I'm
not sure if I heard this in reference to lions or some of the other big cats, but I think the principle is the
same, regardless of species.
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You are adding a new aspect to the discussion.
I think we really have to question our clichΓ©s about big cats' behavior.
For instance, I just saw a documentary that clearly demonstrated that cheetahs do hunt at night, although they have always been considered daytime hunters.
Likewise, it's simply not true that male lions always eat first, I've come across pictures that clearly show male lions happily share a kill with their offspring.
That makes me wonder how true it really is that incoming male lions always kill the existing cubs of a pride.
I think more reliable research is necessary.
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You're right. No matter how many documentaries are made, with the advancements of technology,
there is always something new to learn. So many years Sir David Attenborough has been making
documentaries, but with technological advancements, we can see into new worlds that were
otherwise inaccessible or we can catch a glimpse of the life of animals that weren't available before.
The truth is, we're still very ignorant about the animal kingdom.
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You said it.
Take our cats for instance. A male and a female (both neutered). The male is more than twice the sie of our female.
When he goes out, he is very territorial and stands his ground towards other male intruders.
At home, he lets our female hit him without striking back. She's the boss around the house.
I have no good explanation for that.
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My two cats are much the same. I too have a male and female pair, both neutered.
The female is definitely the boss of the house, pushing him away from his food when
she wants to inspect what he's eating (she has different food) and he just sits back
and waits. Hissing at him and taking a swipe, but never connecting when she's not
in the mood for him sniffing her tail or he gets too close. He doesn't react. Then the
other day, a stray cat came up near the windows and he hissed at it, very aggressive
behaviour and unusual for him. Generally, he is a big sook and not the bravest Ragdoll,
so the territorial hissing was very much out of character. He can get a bit boisterous
with the female, she's much smaller than him (the runt of her litter, sadly) so she needs
to be rescued.
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This is so nice to hear. It reminds me so much of our own two cats.
They are both so sweet to us humans, and I honestly believe there is much more to it than just being their can openers.
Neither of our cats is crazy about food, they just love to bond with us, and reinforce that bond regularly.
If I may say so, to live with a feline companion is just bliss for me...
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My male loves his food, but I think he loves the routine of asking for his dinner more because
we make such a fuss of him. He is very vocal when he wants his dinner and we cat-speak back
at him, while he winds around our ankles and headbutts all the chairs and table legs, marking
everything as his. And the purr! His purr is the bringer of earthquakes!!! 
food orientated, but she likes making a fuss of us in our own way. She sleeps with me and so
she perches on my hip before she lays down on the mattress beside me or if I'm on my back,
she's on top of me and doing happy paws on my stomach. I call it "Tummy Pummel" time! lol
I agree!! Once you've lived with feline companionship, or from my female's superior perspective,
once we have been "enslaved by a feline overlord" there is just no going back! Life wouldn't be
complete without cats in my household, the furry bodies to cuddle, their individual personalities,
the purring that makes a rotten day a little less awful. And they get much out of it too! Soft human
beds to sleep in, fleshy hot-water bottles, defenders and loyal servants that offer yummy foods,
fresh water and keep trays pristine... and of course the amusement of watching us make fools of
ourselves when we mimic their meows and cries to talk back to them!
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Yeah, they are very special indeed. We have had cats around us for 23 years now, and that number alone tells you that we also have lost a few along the way.
Two cats died of oral cancer. One simply died of old age (we adopted him at the age of twelve and he died eight years later). One black cat we had only for a few months was taken by a coyote when we lived in the Los Angeles area.
Another one was probably taken down by a poisonous snake. This is always heartbreaking. The two cats we have right now have lived with us for the last 9 years, so they are at or above 10 years of age, and they show signs of getting older.
They are still in good health, and we hope they will be with us for quite some time.
Can I ask you whether you let your cats out?
I'm asking because there is this ongoing debate about whether or not to let your cat roam freely. I know it's a split decision, because if we had kept our cats strictly indoors, we wouldn't have to mourn the losses of two cats to other predatory animals.
On the other hand I truly think that cats are much happier if they can go outside. They make it very clear to us by voicing their wishes...
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It's really no surprise that so many ancient civilisations worshipped cats!
The inevitability of saying goodbye never gets any easier, no matter how many
years you've been keeping them. They are more than pets, they become part
of the family! My two furbabies both turn 14 this year. Their health is quite good,
though last year we had a scare with the little girl and then for the last month
we've been watching the little boy like a hawk because he was having trouble
walking. Thankfully, he's responding well to his medication and we think - we
hope -he just did something silly and hurt himself, rather than the problem being
the more insidious neurological worries.
We used to take them outside for walks when the weather was warm, but we
haven't done that for a while. Things have been too crazy and they honestly
haven't been screaming their demands for outside time. I think as they're getting
older, they're just happier to stay inside with us where its safe, especially since
the loss of our beloved dog. The little boy has been very skittish since we haven't
had a dog to bark at any sounds or movement outside. Likewise, my little girl has
been clinging to me ever since. We're all missing our puppy, even 3 years later.
Any time they went outside, it was always with two bodyguards - one for each cat
because they would never stay together. It's not safe to leave them unsurprised
with snakes, stray cats and roaming dogs.Β They didn't have a leash or anything,
just stayed near us while exploring and then half an hour of wandering around, it
would be time to go back inside.
I'm firmly in the camp of "Indoor Only" with the clause of "outside with supervision"
because outside just isn't safe when there's so many threats and it would be
heartbreaking if anything happened to either of them. This isn't even including the
threat other humans could pose to them - there is always some sick psycho putting
down poisoned bait for dogs and cats, or someone could steal the cat or just run over
them.
I don't think my two babies suffer from being indoor only. They are happy when they
are with us, they have many large windowsills for sunbathing and we bring a pot of
cat grass inside for them to munch on.
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We also noticed a slightly different behavior in our two cats.
Our male, Felix, who is like 10 years old, still wants to go out every day and patrol his territory. Just the other day, I noticed him in another back yard like 200 meters from our home,
Our female cat Gris-Gris is perhaps 12 years old, and she hardly wants to go out any more.
Other than that, they are still in pretty good health.
And with the coronavirus currently going around, I think there is a chance that they will survive us.
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At 10 and 12, it's great they're both still so healthy! Hopefully you will enjoy their company
for many, many more years! Silly Felix, he would be much safer inside with Gris-Gris rather
than roaming the neighbourhood!
It will probably be true! Someone should think of the kitties during this crisis! The politicians
should be doing more to protect us from this so we can continue to serve our Feline Overlords!
When the coronavirus wipes us out, who is going to be around to open the tins of cat food? Who
will change the water bowl? Who will clean out the litter trays?! (A little humour, since there is
bugger all to be smiling about these days when everything is such doom and gloom!)
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I heard that people are giving their pets (cats or dogs) to animal shelters, because they think they can catch the disease from their animals.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Listening to the experts there is no way you can catch COVID-19 from your pets.
I just hope that all of us get out of this alive.
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That is horrible! Just when I think the lunacy around this virus can't sink any lower, there is a
new bottom. 
find new homes and they aren't put to sleep because of overcrowding. I know shelters are
never very permanent places for their occupants.
There's no end in sight with this virus, but all we can do is knuckle down and ride out the storm.
And not have any moments of insanity like taking furbabies to animal shelters. Stupid people.
But I guess that's the fear for you, the fear and not understanding what is happening and only
seeing the situation worsening.
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What matters most in this crisis is to do the right thing.
And in this regard I'm listening to the experts, namely virologists and epidemiologists.
And apart from that, I don't even need their advice, because a simple look at the numbers of covid-19 cases and fatalities tells you all you need to know.
If unchecked, we will end up with 2 million deaths in the US alone.
Asian countries seem to be able to halt the spread of the virus, whereas Europe and the US seem unable to do so.
And my adopted home country, the US, is acting in an almost criminal fashion. It's just sickening.
Apart from that, I'm busy with a whole lot of things but I would still like to answer each and every comment of yours. It may take some extra time these days.
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It is on the news what Trump proposes to do and for every sane person and everyone with
two braincells to rub together, it's obvious it's going to end in disaster. Wanting everyone to
get back to work and continue on as business as usual by Easter? It is negligence on a
criminal scale. Hopefully between now and then someone is going to have a word in his ear
and tell him what a bad idea his plan is.
No worries about my comments. They aren't going anywhere and everyone is dealing with
their own troubles in this crazy time. The important thing is doing our part to slow the spread
of this virus and take care of ourselves and our families. Everything else becomes secondary.
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Yep. You nailed it ...
Good luck and stay safe!
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