Lionesses Cross Deadly River To Reunite Separated Cubs

A SERIES of pictures shows two lionesses’ exhausting task of reuniting their separated young across a river

Scroll down for the full story

The lionesses made seven trips across the river to coax the cubs across

Two of their litter refused to swim across deep water to join the rest of their siblings - and the adult cats were forced to go back and forth to persuade them across.

But the two young cubs passed through the night by themselves after they refused to cross a deep and treacherous river to join their pride.

A lioness growls as she makes another futile trip across the deep river

Beverly and Dereck Joubert, Emmy award winning wildlife filmmakers, spotted the young animals in Botswana’s Selinda Reserve.

Four cubs huddle together as the lioness stalks the reeds

Two adult lionesses had attempted to lead their six offspring across the deep river, which was swarming with hippos and crocodiles.

One of the disobedient cubs is finally guided across the river

But only four took the leap of faith and made it to the other side – leaving the pride split and two isolated cubs vulnerable to predators.

The mother lionesses crossed the water seven times in a bid to persuade the two cubs to join the siblings - but they could not be convinced.

The young cubs swim across the treacherous river, successfully dodging the hippos and crocodiles

Physically exhausted, and with night approaching, the mothers were forced to leave the pair behind and retreat into the bush.

Beverly, who has been based in Botswana for 32 years with her husband Dereck, spoke of the fear she had for the two cubs.

Back to safety: One of the disobedient cubs is warmed and fed after a night alone

She said: “The two cubs were left in the reeds right through the night, anything could have taken them, from a large monitor lizard, hyena, crocodile, a nomadic male lion as we had a few passing through the territory, hippos or elephants trampling them on purpose or by mistake.”

The disobedient cubs latch onto their mother after spending the night alone

The two filmmakers were forced to leave the separated pride but returned at dawn to find the two cubs hungry and cold.

The rest of the pride remained on the opposite riverbank but were unable to see if the cubs had survived the night.

Seemingly desperate for food, one of the young cubs called out to its mother to alert her of its presence and once again the two lionesses swam the width of the river.

The adult cats and four of their cubs look across the river for their siblings

Dereck said: “The cubs followed without hesitation now, either driven by not wanting to be separated again, or by the promise of milk on the other side. As the cubs swam across, one hanging on and riding his mother’s rump, I leaned back and thought 'this is what it is like to born into the most extreme family of hunting cats.”