The brave lioness was caught on film by Mark Fox of Foxys On Safari.
Lioness emerges in full view of motorists
The lioness entered the road in front of spectators, clearly weak and sick. She walked alone, and faced the tremendous challenge of surviving without her pride.
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She appeared famished and her coat was ravaged by what appeared to be mange… though it was not clear what had left her in such a terrible condition.
Lioness sets sights on potential prey
The lioness walked purposefully across the road. She had her sights set on something in the distance.
It was only as she neared the other side that the reason for her intense focus was revealed. This was when she took on a hunting stance and lowered her body, poised and ready to pounce.
She was hunting!
A sick lioness in the Kruger National Park can face significant challenges when it comes to hunting. Lions rely heavily on strength, speed, and teamwork to hunt, and any illness that weakens the body or affects coordination can drastically reduce a lioness’s hunting success.
The lioness was possibly isolated from her pride. Without the support of her pride and weakened by sickness, she was forced to hunt for smaller, more vulnerable animals, like young impalas, warthogs, or even birds.
Stalking into the thicket, she launched an ambush. She disappeared into the long grass for a moment, and after what appeared to be something of a tussle, emerged with nothing.
Her hunting attempt had been unsuccessful.
Lionesses in the Kruger can suffer from a range of diseases and conditions.
One of these is bovine tuberculosis. This is a chronic bacterial infection which has been recorded in many lions in the park. It can affect the lungs and lymph nodes, causing weight loss, fatigue, and difficulty breathing. All of these symptoms impair a lion’s ability to hunt effectively.
Another disease is feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). This condition weakens the immune system and makes lions affected by it more vulnerable to secondary infections.
Mange, caused by mites, can lead to severe skin irritation, hair loss, and discomfort. This affects a lion’s ability to move and stalk quietly.
Then there are tick-borne diseases like babesiosis.
All of these diseases may cause fever, lethargy, and even neurological symptoms.
However, in spite of being sick, the resilience of this lioness was on full display. She hadn’t given up nor did she intend to.
Lioness shows tremendous courage
After her unsuccessful hunting attempt, she walked alongside the road, and continued on her journey. Her ribs were evident and showed through her mangy coat, and it was heartbreaking to see her predicament.
However, these was a determination which shone, and this courage made for a memorable sighting.
Sick lionesses such as her will often resort to scavenging food when they become too weak to hunt. The will to live is strong in every animal and lions must eat to survive, even if this means scavenging.