The previous evening, we left the cubs playing and the mother stretching and waking up:
Early the next morning, we found them in the bushes not far away, with some other adults nearby and a watchful jackal.
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During the night they had killed, and pretty much finished eating, but the cubs had been given the bones to gnaw on and play with:
and we watched for 45 minutes or so.
They were deep in the bushes, so the light was poor. This one had the jawbone:
And this one has the foot:
They start to eat meat at two to three months, so they’ve had a month or so to get used to the idea, though they will still be nursing for about another three months
As the sun came up, the matriarch led them off to a more secluded bush to sleep it all off through the heat of the day. But being cubs they were still playing as she tried to get them to bed.
It all looks idyllic, but within two years, there is a good chance that only one will still be alive. Cubs die from predators when they are left alone while their mother hunts or from ailments, like this eye problem we found on a cub in Il Ngwesi (the last report was that the cub is doing OK).
But male cubs are especially vulnerable because they leave their mother and the pride at around three and then have to contend with rival males until they are strong enough to take over a pride of their own.
I wish these cubs well, especially the lone male one.
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