Photographer Evan Schiller and Lisa Holzwarth were on a game drive in the northern Botswana's Selinda area when they came across a big troop of baboons charging through the bush.
"30-40 baboons were heading in our general direction making a lot of noise," Lisa recalls.
The baboons were obviously frightened by something and they all scampered up trees, shouting, alarming, and making a big scene. It quickly became clear what the problem was: two large lionesses came out of the tall grass and rushed the baboons into the trees, soon joined by two more lionesses.
"Between the baboons shrieking and the lionesses communicating with deep guttural roars, it was a mad scene," Lisa says.
But then the real chaos began! One brave baboon descended the dead tree and tried to make a run for it. but got snapped up in the jaws of a lioness.
The lioness grabbed a female baboon on the run. But there was something else there. As the baboon lay dying in the jaws of the lioness, a little baby (less than a month old) slowly disengaged from its mother's body. Photograph by Evan Schiller
Instinct took over and the baby tried to make a go for a tree, but did not have the strength to climb. At this point the lioness noticed the "little guy" and went over to investigate. Photograph by Evan Schiller
Instead of snapping the baby up in a deadly movement, she started to play with the baboon. Photograph by Evan Schiller
The lioness was inquisitive and gentle at the same time. Photograph by Evan Schiller
After a while she picked up the baboon softly in her mouth and walked away, then settled down with the baby between her paws. Photograph by Evan Schiller
In a strange behavioural twist, the baboon started to try and suckle the lioness. Photograph by Evan Schiller
What happened next blew our minds - the baby, in another instinctual moment, held onto the lioness' chest and tried to suckle.
Photograph by Evan Schiller
The lioness got distracted-this time by two male lions who arrived on the scene. Their advances, however, were met with aggression by the lioness. Was she defending the baby baboon? Or just uninterested in their mating advances? Photograph by Evan Schiller
Here's where it gets interesting: Waiting in a nearby tree is a big male baboon, who is obviously intent on saving the baby. The male lions were causing such a ruckus that it presented a short window of opportunity for the brave hero to descend the tree, grab the baby and head back to safety.
The father baboon had to make a move. Holding the baby, in all sorts of contorted positions, he tried numerous times to climb down the tree. He tested the lionesses' interest with each descent. Photograph by Evan Schiller
The heroic male baboon, having just saved the baby from the lions, cradled him in his arms. Photograph by Evan Schiller
"I was touched by how gently the father baboon held this little baby who was in tough shape after its ordeal."
Life is fragile and no matter how much we fight to control its outcome, all we can do is live in the moment."
I found the photos for you: http://www.lifebuzz.com/lioness-protects/
I posted the photos & they show up when I come back to this thread. Can you post them & see if they show up for you and others?
John, I think sometimes you have problems posting pictures because you've copied them from your emails. (I don't know if this is the case this time).
Here's my go at it...
One baboon tried to run and got snatched by the jaws of a lioness, but there was a baby holding on to its dying mother.
Evan Schiller
The baby tried to escape from danger by running up a tree, but it didn’t have the strength to climb. The lioness saw the baboon and went to investigate.
Evan Schiller
The lioness started to play with the baby.
Evan Schiller
The lioness was curious, but gentle with the frightened baby.
Evan Schiller
The lioness picked the baby up in her mouth and walked away. Then she settled down with the baby between her paws.
Evan Schiller
The baby held onto the lioness and instinctively tried to suckle.
Evan Schiller
But that wasn’t even the most amazing part…
Evan Schiller
The lioness got distracted by two male lions who were making advances. She responded aggressively.
Evan Schiller
This gave the big male baboon, who was waiting in a tree, a chance to descend the tree and save the baby.
Evan Schiller
After some struggling, still holding the baby, he was finally able to flee to the safety and shade of a tree.
Evan Schiller
Credit: National Geographic
"My" pics show up for me; "yours" don't.
Maybe everyone will have to post their own.
Yeah things have been a little quirky around here lately. As far as the pics, I was here this morning, and no pics. Now they are there so, hmmm? I've been having trouble with embeds every so often.
Yeah things have been a little quirky around here lately. As far as the pics, I was here this morning, and no pics. Now they are there so, hmmm? I've been having trouble with embeds every so often. Correction: The original posted photos do not show up for me either.
I think mama lion would have eaten the little darling up if the "boys" hadn't come along and made improper advances. (Honestly, can't guys can't think about anything else?) Realistically -- if you were a lion, could you have resisted a delicious babboon-bon like that? ;-) (Sorry, couldn't resist having a little fun.)
I do feel sorry for mama baboon. Had she been smarter, though, these great photos wouldn't exist. Thanks for posting them.
For what it's worth, I could see the photos I posted immediately after posting, but now I can't. Maybe there's some sort of copyright guard on them.
No need to post the pics. Just open the link: http://www.lifebuzz.com/lioness-protects/
This is what it is all about , right on!!!!!!!!!!
Eric Loves you all.........
That's not what I took away from this story, Bob. I think the maternal instinct proved to be stronger than the predatory instinct, as evidenced by the lioness's willingness to let the baboon babe suckle.
It's not unlike John's other recent post about the mother cat allowing the ducklings to suckle. In both cases, the predatory instinct succumbed to the maternal one.