Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me

by Guest Sun Feb 18, 2018 7:03 am

You might be forgiven for thinking this lioness is just playing with her food.

But these remarkable photographs capture the powerful beast caring for a young springbok as if it were her own offspring.

For although the antelope species are her natural prey, this grieving lioness adopted the calf after her own cubs were killed by a rival male lion.

Photographer Gordon Donovan recorded the extraordinary scenes of her tenderly cradling the antelope, licking it clean and shielding it from danger.

She even protected the bok from a pair of pregnant lions who approached in search of food at Etosha National Park in Namibia.

Photographer Mr Donovan, from New York, said: ‘It was a bizarre yet stunning sight to behold. I was excited about the lions, and when she captured the springbok I was waiting for the kill.
‘But it never came and started cleaning the calf. That’s the mysterious way of nature, never knowing what will happen next.
‘Then she protected her adopted springbok cub from the other lions. These are the moments I seek when I go to Africa.’
Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me 495315B200000578-0-image-a-14_1518911051607

Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me 495315B200000578-0-image-a-14_1518911051607

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The fascinating set of images show a grieving lioness apparently adopting the baby springbok as if it were one of her very own cubs
Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me 495315A600000578-0-image-a-17_1518911059676

Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me 495315A600000578-0-image-a-17_1518911059676

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The shots show the lioness holding the young springbok back from running away, cleaning it, pushing it around playfully - while refusing to allow other members of her hungry pride anywhere near it, after her own cubs were killed by a rival male lion
Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me 4953159400000578-0-image-a-19_1518911068557

Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me 4953159400000578-0-image-a-19_1518911068557

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Photographer Gordon Donovan, from New York, claims that the bizarre scene played out for more than two hours when he visited the pride in Namibia's Etosha National Park
Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me 4953157C00000578-0-image-a-21_1518911074798

Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me 4953157C00000578-0-image-a-21_1518911074798

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Gordon, 53, was informed by a guide that the lioness was part of a pride that had been overtaken by a new male, and, in doing so, the dominant male had killed the lioness' male cubs
Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me 4953156500000578-0-image-a-22_1518911082566

Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me 4953156500000578-0-image-a-22_1518911082566

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Although the antelope species are her natural prey, the lioness protected the bok from a pair of pregnant lions who approached in search of food

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5404553/Lioness-adopts-young-springbok-cubs-killed.html#ixzz57ROh5wU7
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by nicko Sun Feb 18, 2018 10:46 am

Problem is, the Lion can't feed it and as soon as the mail sees it, he'll kill it !

by eddie Sun Feb 18, 2018 11:57 am

Is a National Park like a zoo, where the animals are fed by someone? Because if they were in the wild she’d have definitely killed that.

by veya_victaous Sun Feb 18, 2018 11:52 pm

eddie wrote:Is a National Park like a zoo, where the animals are fed by someone? Because if they were in the wild she’d have definitely killed that.

No national parks, are land put aside for Wild Animals to live Wild like this WILD Lioness. Wink

by Cass Mon Feb 19, 2018 12:48 am

Amazing.

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Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me

Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me

Re: Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me

Re: Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me

Re: Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me

Re: Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me

Re: Don't worry, deer... I won't bite! And you can spring bok to your family when you’ve finished lion around with me