Lion pictures and videos

[Spalea]

Story of a lionness which never surrendered to the adversity:

Beverly Joubert: " It's not easy picking out women who have shaped my life and inspired the paths that I've followed. There are many. While we try not to anthropomorphize animals, there are individuals whose determination, dedication, and apparent kindness—even in the face of dire circumstances—speak volumes. One such female is a lioness in the Okavango known as Fekeetsa, a name that translates to "overpower" or "overcome" because of the odds that she faced.

Perhaps she resonates particularly with me because I spent so much time with her after Dereck Joubert and I had been badly injured by a buffalo. We learnt her story after months of our own recovery and my close call with death. Fekeetsa was left with a broken wrist after a buffalo hunt went wrong. It should have been a death sentence, but she had young cubs to feed and she wasn't going to give up on them.
Despite undeniable pain, she changed her hunting strategy and searched the swamps for baby lechwe hidden in the reeds so she wouldn't have to chase them. Every day she went out with the excruciating injury, and every day she brought food back for her cubs, who grew stronger and bigger. Gradually she began to heal, although she will always limp. At the beginning of this year she even adopted a cub that had strayed from its own pride and gotten lost—a phenomenon that is unheard of among lions.
Today Fekeetsa's cubs are nearing her size and she has recovered enough to broaden her hunts again. She has shown a spirit that I have seen in many women over the years—a knowledge that the responsibility lies with her and the complete refusal to accept failure. ".

Reply