- NAIROBI (Reuters) - A lioness
who baffled experts in Kenya by adopting a baby oryx, a kind of antelope
Africa's top predator likes to eat, has lost its companion to a hungry
male lion.
The lioness came across the oryx shortly after it was born two weeks ago
in Samburu National Park, finding it lying in wait for its mother who had
gone to search for food, staff at the nearby Samburu lodge said on Monday.
Defying nature, the lioness quickly adopted the oryx, giving it affection
and protection from other predators as if it were her own cub, though strangely
still allowing the mother oryx to come and feed her calf occasionally before
scaring her away.
"The baby oryx was very close to the lioness," Patrick Muriungi,
a receptionist at the lodge said.
"Once, there was a leopard which wanted to kill the oryx, and the
lioness was really protecting the calf."
On Sunday, the lioness -- weakened by a lack of food after two weeks of
protecting "her" baby -- led the oryx to the river to drink.
"By bad luck the male lion was somewhere behind the bushes,"
Muriungi said. "When the lioness went to take a nap, the baby oryx
was playing around and it was caught by the lion. The baby was killed.
"The lioness roared. She was very angry. She went around the lion
about 10 times roaring, and then the lioness disappeared. Then the lion
took the carcass down by the tree and ate half of it. The lioness has not
been seen since."
Nature expert Vincent Kapeen told the Daily Nation newspaper that the lioness
may have adopted the calf because it had lost the company of its pride
and was feeling lonely. "What is baffling is why the relationship
lasted so long," he said.
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