Nothing can compare to a mother’s love, and moms from the animal kingdom are no exception. In the animal kingdom, a mother’s love is the strongest when her babies are in trouble.
A dramatic rescue, captured by wildlife photographer Jean-Francois Largot, was played out in Kenya’s Masai Mara game reserve.
A tiny lion cub, which has somehow slipped and fallen over a cliff, is crying out pitifully for help as it clings on for dear life to the side of the almost vertical cliff.
The mother arrives at the edge of the cliff as her son cries out for rescue after being trapped when he slipped
His mother arrives at the edge of the cliff with three other lionesses and a male. The females start to clamber down together but turn back daunted by the sheer drop.
Four lionesses look over the edge before aborting their rescue mission because of the sheer drop
Eventually one single factor determines which of them will risk her life to save the youngster – motherly love.
Slowly, agonisingly, the big lioness mother inches her way down towards her terrified cub, using her powerful claws to grip the crumbling cliff side.
The mother inches her way down the cliff face to rescue the terrified cub
Just as the exhausted cub seems about to fall, his mother circles beneath him and he is snatched up in her jaws. She then begins the equally perilous journey back to the top. One slip from her and both animals could end up dead at the bottom of the ravine.
The mother locks the cub in her jaws and makes her way back up the cliff face
Minutes later, they arrive back safely at the top of the cliff and she gives the frightened offspring a consoling lick on the head.
The mother gives her son a reassuring lick to say that all is well.
In my opinion, mothers in the animal kingdom do a better job than some human mothers…don’t you agree?
Thank you for capturing and sharing these wonderful moments/photos with us.
Yes, sometimes, but I think almost every mother would risk or even give her life to save her children. Thanks for this beautiful story!
To the OP:
That’s because we only here what’s GOOD in the animal kingdom and are kept away from the horror stories. Yes, mothers can be awful in the wild as well – all caused by stress. Just read up on it.
Animals and humans can both be assholes due to a plethora of factors. All creatures are subject to the same cause and effect / stimuli and response / and mental illnesses.