A storoem with the tale of a young lioness and an oryx calf. |
This tale is strange – quite unbelievable actually. Yet I saw it on Animal Planet. I swear it’s true. On the African plains a lion and oryx are naturally predator and prey. But one lioness set Nature askew. An immature lioness lost all the members of her pride, poisoned by tribal herdsmen some say. Bewildered, she wandered lost and alone. A baby oryx should hide instinctively from predators; however, nothing deterred one newborn oryx from approaching the lioness. Then a most unusual thing happened. Instead of killing the young antelope standing defenseless before her, the lioness accepted it, showing it love. The two – predator and prey – lay together in peace. Wherever the oryx went, the lioness followed, acting as its guardian and protector. Her hunting now ceased; she would not eat, if it meant her new friend abandoning. Word spread of the strange sight of the lion and oryx bonded together. People flocked to see this bizarre pairing of enemies. They were amazed as the lioness licked and groomed the antelope calf. This was a scene, as far as all knew, never before witnessed by Man. The scientists hypothesized the lioness had become desperately deprived for social interaction and such deep longing often manifests itself in aberrant behaviors. Talk of the work of God thrived among the tribesmen. They considered this a miracle at hand. For all, this was a poignant event … but one doomed to failure all too soon. The young oryx had no mother to suckle, and it was too young to digest grass. It would starve. No cure could be found. For fifteen days the lioness and her unlikely baby stayed together, slowly growing weaker from hunger. On the last day, the antelope wandered away, to be savagely attacked by a male lion. The lioness watched the slaughter, helpless to intervene. She reacted as a mother losing her own cub. Nature had restored order. The lioness survived; later she adopted several other antelope calves. All died, except one lone baby oryx who was reunited with its parent. Some say maybe that was how it was supposed to end, perhaps the intent was for the lioness to restore one of her prey to its mother, for after this, the lioness simply disappeared. Where she went is unknown. She became legend, her actions unlike any other. Please check out my ten books: http://www.amazon.com/Jr.-Harry-E.-Gilleland/e/B004SVLY02/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 |