Senior ranger Nic Nel was privileged to witness the amusing reactions of the cubs watching the unexpected visitor.

Nic and his crew had headed out on an afternoon game drive in search of lions. It was now the cool of the day when animals would be heading towards the waterhole.
“Shortly after some searching, we stumbled across a small pride of lions,” said Nic, recounting the experience.
He said the pride consisted of two adult females and multiple young cubs. The lions were all pretty relaxed, owing to their proximity to a waterhole. “Even the normally playful cubs were having an afternoon snooze.”

A small visitor appears in the middle of the pride
While observing the sleeping lions, a small visitor appeared in the middle of the pride. It was a millipede.
It would have been hard to spot had Nic and his team not taken their time to watch the lions, however inactive the pride appeared to be.
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Lions are nocturnal mammals, which means they will rest during the heat of the day and store energy for nighttime activities. However, if fun presents itself in the daylight hours, they won’t give up the opportunity to have fun.
Lion cubs are also playful by nature. They develop skills by watching and engaging in playful activities with fellow cubs, and other lions Activities such as wrestling, running after each other, and pretend stalking are some of the ways they spend their time.
These games are more than just entertainment. They play a vital role in sharpening their ability to hunt and strengthening social connections.

Curiosity gets the better of the cubs
One of the cubs noticed the millipede and his curiosity got the better of him. He eventually jumped to his feet, moving closer to inspect the visitor. His reaction created a domino effect, and slowly all the little cubs made their way to see the millepede.
They circled the creature and moved their noses closer to get a better sense of the visitor in their midst.

On coming up close and personal with the millipede, one of the cubs even gave a little jump. This must’ve been because of the unpleasant and unexpected smell emanating from the creature. The cub moved off very quickly!
“Millipedes have a small amount of cyanide, and perhaps the smell was too strange for the youngster,” explained Nic.

When the millipede failed to do anything spectacular, the cubs eventually lost interest. They made their way back to their mother. The two adult females also then rose from their slumber and stood to their feet to move on.
With the night fast approaching, it was almost dinner time.

A lesson in game viewing
Nic advises not leaving a sighting too quickly to avoid missing something that only time and patience allow one to witness.
This humorous display of lion cubs’ inner curiosity and innate playfulness will no doubt be remembered by Nic and his team for a long time to come.