Solomon Laboso And Aggrey Ouma
16 February 2002
The lioness that stunned the world by adopting a young oryx calf a month ago at the Samburu National Reserve, has adopted another one.
The reserve's senior warden, Mr Simon Leirana, confirmed the rare relationship between the two, which was by strange coincidence first noticed on Valentine's Day (February 14) by Samburu National Reserve warders while on normal patrol.
He said activity at the park had virtually come to a standstill as all the tourists in the park converged on the Samburu Larsen Camp to view the wonder of nature.
Leirana said the lioness had been trailing a herd of oryx since last month and must have snatched the two-day baby oryx from the mother immediately after birth.
The mother oryx is said to be hovering around the couple and has occasionally been seen breast-feeding the baby between mid-morning and lunch time.
During such instances, the lioness follows the oryx and from a respectable distance observes from the side as the mother feeds the baby. The lioness always chases the mother away at the "appropriate time."
The big debate in Samburu is whether man should intervene and assist in conserving the unusual company.
Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) wardens had by yesterday cordoned off the vicinity to protect the couple from any outside interference from visitors and to ensure that they are not attacked by other carnivores.
Samburu District Officer (One), Mr Paul Rop, said security personnel comprising regular, General Service Unit (GSU) and Administration Police have also beefed up security to guard the duo.
The same lioness adopted an oryx last month for two weeks before it was snatched by a lion and mauled. The lioness had gone without food while protecting the calf but became too weak to save it from the hungry lion.
The unusual relationship between the lioness, a voracious carnivore and the oryx, a herbivore, stunned wildlife experts and even hoteliers world-wide.
The general manager of Samburu Lodge, Mr Simon Mburu, said the occurrence was extraordinary as the lioness had defied all rules of predator-prey relationship. But stranger than fiction was the fact that, like in the present case, the baby oryx, was not orphaned.
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