For a mom, there is nothing more tragic than the sudden loss of all her babies at the same time. Unfortunately, this often happens in the wild. Many of them can hardly overcome such pain.
And in the case of this young lioness from Etosha National Park, Namibia. She decided to fill the void in her life by taking care of a baby who belongs to a completely different species.
Shortly after the male lion killed all his cubs, the lioness adopted a springbok. She treated him as her own. Photographer Gordon Donovan was one of the lucky few who had the opportunity to witness their touching moments together.
At first he thought the little springbok was nothing more than her prey.But what happened next really struck the 53-year-old. The lioness not only gently played with the springbok, hugged and licked him, but also protected him from other hungry lions.
«It was a strange and exciting sight,» Donovan said. «When she caught a springbok, I thought it was her prey. But this is the mystery of nature. You never know what’s going to happen next.»
Donovan came to this beautiful country from New York. And we can say with confidence that this incredible journey did not disappoint him. Many wildlife photographers have been looking for such stunning pictures all their lives. But not everyone was able to see what he was looking for.
«I’m always looking forward to going to Africa,» Donovan continued.
