Download the all-new Republic app:

Published 15:46 IST, February 5th 2020

Baboon steals lion cub, netizens compare video to Disney’s ‘The Lion King’

Baboon holding a lion cub and caressing him in a video shared by a YouTube page named Kruger Sightings has startled the internet that compared the cub to Simba.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
Follow: Google News Icon
  • share
null | Image: self
Advertisement

A rare video of a baboon holding a lion cub shared by a YouTube page named Kruger Sightings has become viral on the internet. It was reportedly shot by Kurt Schultz, an owner of Kurt Safari, who was roaming and taking photos in the Kruger National Park.

Schultz told the reporters that he was at the Kruger national park when he happened to notice something very special and rare, a baboon had adopted a lion cub and was climbing the marula tree. He said that initially, he thought that the baboon was a female, however, it later became clear that the baboon was a male and was grooming the lion cub moving from tree to tree.

Advertisement

Baboon was seen caressing the lion cub

The video of the Baboon caressing the lion cub was widely appreciated by internet users who pointed out that animals portrayed compassion and love for other species. According to the reports, Schultz told the media that in 20 years, he had never witnessed such a sighting. He said that it was highly unlikely that the lion cub would survive with the troop of baboon since the cub was a predator.

Read UK Wildlife 'at Risk' Due To Gaps In Environmental Regulations

Advertisement

Read Australia Govt Announces $34m For Fire-hit Wildlife

Netizens compared the lion cub to Simba from The Lion King and said that the baboon was inspired by the movie itself. Some users said that the baboon might eat the cub afterwards, raising speculation about the cub’s safety.

Advertisement

Schultz told the media that the baboon usually moved down foraging early morning and must have found the lion cub hidden, and decided to adopt the cub hidden behind the rock. It isn’t common for the baboon to adopt a predator in the forests, and this one was caressing the cub and held on to him tightly like the scene in The Lion King movie, he added.

Read Alaska’s Northern Fur Seals Find Refuge On Tip Of Undersea Volcano

Advertisement

Read Norfolk Group Buys All Frisbees On Sale To Stop Them Hurting Seals

15:46 IST, February 5th 2020