This was one of those moments that people dream of experiencing in the wild.
Just a day after my incredible leopard sighting (which I posted about), a lioness suddenly appeared, walking down the road straight toward me — and the leopard. After a brief moment where it felt like she acknowledged us, she calmly passed right in front of my car and disappeared into the bush. For the next five minutes, she wandered deep into the undergrowth, calling out, searching.
The leopards had vanished into the long grass just moments earlier, so I decided to return to their location while my mom stayed to watch the lioness. Only about 100 meters away, I found the leopards again, slowly moving through the grass toward the road. Just as I stopped, I heard a call come through on the radio:
“She’s found them! Come back, come back!”
Shocked — but not entirely surprised — I was torn. Leopards are my favorite animal, but lion cubs? I mean, come on…
After a few seconds of hesitation, I replied:
“On my way.”
When I arrived, I was met with the most heart-melting scene: the lioness and her four tiny cubs standing in the road near a puddle. Soon, they began moving along the road. The cubs were so young they hadn’t yet figured out how to properly walk — everything was a bounce, a hop, a clumsy little run. Watching their joy and liveliness was one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.
They played with each other, communicated in squeaks and grunts, and every so often, mom would gently guide them with a paw or a soft nudge from her mouth. For about 10 minutes and nearly 700 meters, they walked down the road, and I slowly followed behind — respectfully, carefully — not wanting to disturb them or cause any stress.
It’s so important to give animals their space — especially a mother with her babies.
If you were with your children, or in your home, you’d hope for the same consideration from others. Let’s show them the same respect.
