Author: admin

Mona and Max became minor celebrities earlier this year when a Gaza resident purchased the 2-month-old cubs from Gaza’s Rafah Zoo, which had been damaged by airstrikes and was financially struggling.

Animal welfare group Four Paws quickly noticed the situation was untenable. Raising lion cubs is expensive, and they require specialized knowledge their new owner didn’t have. Plus, keeping lions in a house full of children is a recipe for disaster.

“Both cubs have already grown quite a bit bigger and stronger since their arrival in the refugee camp, and they now represent a significant danger for the inhabitants of the camp,” veterinarian Amir Khalil said in a statement last month.

Unfortunately, the exotic cats’ time in the refugee camp had taken its toll. At only a few months old, both lions had a skin disease, and the female was “weakened and apathetic,” according to rescuers. She also had significant swelling on the back of her head, likely from a stroke.

The cubs received a sad goodbye from their owner, who had raised them since they were babies. “It was very hard for the father of the family, who bought the lion cubs from Rafah Zoo in March, to say goodbye,” Khalil said. “But we are very happy that he finally sees reason.”

Surprisingly, the young cubs weren’t alone in Gaza. While the territory is small, the keeping of exotic cats is a surprisingly big problem, according to Four Paws. Around 40 large cats currently call Gaza home, and many of them – like Mona and Max’s parents – were illegally smuggled in via underground tunnels from Egypt.

But despite their rough start in life, and the drama of their rescue, the little lions – whom Four Paws renamed Shalom and Salaam to encourage peace in Gaza – seemed undeterred by the changes around them. A photo shows the young lions asleep in their traveling cage, arms wrapped around each other and their faces pressed together as they cling to the only family they’ve ever known.

The little cubs are currently living in a quarantine center in Jordan, and they have a bright future ahead of them. This fall, the loving siblings will be released into a large enclosure at Jordan’s Al Ma’wa Wildlife Sanctuary, where they’ll be able to live life like nature intended.

In the wild, a captured prey typically faces an inevitable fate.
Yet, in a handful of extraordinary instances, prey miraculously breaks free from the jaws of death.
In this episode, we’ve curated the 12 Most Unbelievable Moments of Prey Escapes Predators.
Let’s get started!

The zebras and wildebeests ran to save themselves when a lioness started chasing them.
The lioness was going after the weakest target, the baby zebra.
Helpless, the little zebra had already resigned to itself.
Suddenly its mother came back to save it!
The mother zebra attacked the lion continuously and finally kicking its face very hard!
The lion just stood there, in pain, as its lunch got away.

The zebras mustered their courage to face the river, which was infested with crocodiles.
A helpless baby zebra got overwhelmed while crossing the river and was carried away by the swift current.
Just as the mother zebra was about to reach dry land, a crocodile snapped at her tail from behind.
Luckily, the mother zebra narrowly escaped the attack.
Subsequently, the mother zebra attempted to call out for her stranded offspring.
To everyone’s relief, the baby zebra had also managed to survive.
It calmly stepped over the crocodile’s back and rejoined its mother.

When Pride Meets Prickles: The Perilous Encounter of Lion and Porcupine

The African savanna, a stage for epic battles of survival, often pits predator against prey. We see lions, the apex hunters, routinely bringing down zebras, wildebeest, and even the occasional giraffe. But sometimes, nature throws a curveball, presenting the king of the jungle with a challenge it rarely anticipates: the porcupine.

While not a typical prey item, the porcupine, a lumbering ball of quills, can become a target of opportunity, especially during times of scarcity or when a young, inexperienced lion is looking to hone its hunting skills. However, a lion’s decision to engage a porcupine often proves to be a decision regretted.

The porcupine’s defense mechanism is legendary. Armed with upwards of 30,000 quills, loosely attached and easily dislodged, it presents a formidable barrier. Unlike the mythical idea of a porcupine firing its quills, the reality is that they detach upon contact. A lion, driven by hunger, might attempt to swat, bite, or claw at the porcupine. The result? A snout, paws, and even the inside of the mouth riddled with sharp, barbed quills.

The pain is immediate and intense. But the real danger lies in the potential for infection. Quills, often contaminated with bacteria, can cause severe abscesses. Furthermore, if a quill penetrates a vital organ or migrates to a sensitive area like the eye, the consequences can be devastating, potentially leading to blindness, debilitating pain, and even death.

Documented cases abound of lions crippled or even killed by encounters with porcupines. One particularly poignant example involved a pride in South Africa where a young lioness died weeks after attempting to hunt a porcupine. Her face and paws were riddled with quills, and the resulting infection proved fatal.

While lions are intelligent creatures, and experienced individuals generally avoid porcupines, the allure of a seemingly easy meal can sometimes outweigh the inherent risks. Younger lions, still learning the ropes of hunting, are particularly vulnerable to making this mistake.

So, what happens after the fateful encounter? If the lion survives the initial ordeal, it faces a long road to recovery. The removal of the quills is a delicate process, often requiring sedation and the careful extraction of each individual barb. Veterinarians in wildlife reserves are frequently called upon to assist lions in this predicament, a testament to the real threat posed by these prickly creatures.

The lion vs. porcupine encounter serves as a powerful reminder of the complexity and unpredictability of the natural world. It highlights the fact that even the most dominant predator isn’t immune to the defenses of a seemingly less imposing creature. It’s a testament to the power of evolution, showcasing how even a seemingly simple defense mechanism can effectively ward off the king of the jungle and ensure the survival of the humble porcupine. In the grand theatre of the African savanna, the lesson is clear: pride sometimes comes before a fall, and sometimes, it comes with thousands of painful quills.

pride of lions launches a coordinated attack on a vulnerable buffalo calf. Dust rises as powerful paws strike the ground, claws extended. The calf, barely able to flee, lets out desperate bleats.

From the side, the mother buffalo charges with fury, her massive horns lowered, eyes wild with determination. She crashes into the lions, scattering them momentarily, her protective instincts overriding all fear. One lion clings to the calf, but the mother’s relentless assault forces it to retreat.

See how an ant-eating Pangolin defended itself from the lions in the Gir forest of India.

The rare, armour plated pangolin had the perfect defence tactic:roll up into a ball and stay there – whatever happens. The hapless lion appeared confused by its spherical prey, as it batted the creature about with its paws and even tried to carry it around in its mouth.

When caught by large predators such as lions they work their muscles into a cutting action to lacerate the mouths of their adversaries. The injuries caused can be serious for the animal attempting to eat the pangolin.

Pangolins survive by using their sensitive tongues, which can grow up to 16 inches long, to probe ant nests and termite mounds to eat the insects inside.

Fighting off a Lion by curling up in ones’ Pangolin scales!

Awesome video of a male leopard reclaiming his meal from a stubborn hyena. Watch until the end where the hyena misses by inches as the leopard launches himself and the kill up into the large marula tree. Video by Greg Heasman

Leopard vs. Hyena: A Clash of Apex Predators in the African Bush
The African savanna is a theater of constant struggle, a battleground where survival hinges on strength, cunning, and adaptability. Among the many players vying for dominance, the leopard and the hyena stand out as formidable apex predators.

While both are iconic African figures, their contrasting hunting styles, social structures, and physical attributes make their encounters explosive and their rivalry a fascinating study in ecological competition. Who would win in a direct confrontation? The answer, as with nature, is rarely simple.

Again, an elephant had gotten trapped inside a deep, water-filled well on Kuranze Ranch — something that has become an all-too-common occurrence during the dry season. This time, it was a full-grown female.

Established in 1977, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) operates the world’s most successful orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation program, rescuing and hand-rearing orphaned elephants and other animals that have lost their mothers, all too often as a result of human activity. But we do much more than this.

Through our Aerial, Anti-Poaching and Mobile Veterinary Units, we safeguard the natural environment and provide immediate assistance to wild animals in need. We also secure irreplaceable wilderness areas so that animals will always have space to roam and work with local partners and communities to ensure people and wildlife can live alongside one another.