This little group of lion cubs were full of energy and ready to play some games, as they began hunting their dad’s tail in the Pumba Private Game Reserve in South Africa.
Cameron Schmidt, the reserve’s System Head Ranger, recorded the sighting, even capturing a rare white lion cub joining in on the game with its siblings and doing their best to annoy their dad who was just trying to take a quick nap after eating.
It’s All Fun And Games
Only one of the little lions was brave enough to approach at first, almost as if they were all playing a game of chicken together as well as playing hunt the tail. The brave cub approached, too intent on hunting the larger lion’s tail to consider what might happen if it got caught.
The other cubs looked on from the side lines as the first did its best to hunt the flicking tail while the adult lion kept twitching it, more likely trying to keep away flies than to give the cubs something to play with. Whether it was the hunting instinct kicking in, or just the cubs looking for an opportunity to practice what they’d seen from other members of the pride, they were going for it.
Hunting Practice
Once they’ve been introduced to the pride, lion cubs learn their place and their role by interacting with the other members. This includes developing their hunting skills by watching the adult lions hunt, and then practicing what they see in their games.
They’ll stalk and pounce on each other as well as imaginary prey, and wrestle together in their games which is all cute to watch, but is also essential to the development of their skills and their muscles. It’s inevitable that as they develop, they’re going to push some boundaries regarding what’s allowed in the pride, with their dad paying the price for that.
Like Butter Wouldn’t Melt
Despite the adult lion getting increasingly annoyed with their games, they kept playing, and then sat and looked on with all the disarming cuteness of a standard house cat.
Even they’re about to learn, though, that there are some boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed, and that as much as they might want to play, sometimes it’s better to let the adults get their sleep.
Let Sleeping Giants Lie
Eventually, their dad couldn’t stomach the annoyance anymore, and with the single act of getting up, managed to scare all of the lion cubs into running away like the cheeky little rascals they are.
With the game over, the cubs retreated to a safe distance and headed off in search of more mischief, with the white lion standing out on the edge.
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The White Lion Cub
White lions are incredibly rare, and there are very few of them left in the wild. Cameron Schmidt says the Pumba Private Game Reserve is “one of the few reserves in the Eastern Cape, similar to Sanbona in the Western Cape, to have free-roaming white lions.”
These aren’t albino lions, like some might think, but are actually affected by a condition called leucism which can affect birds, mammals and reptiles. Leucism makes animals lose pigment in their fur or skin, turning them white, and its rarity in lions makes this a particularly special sighting.