29-year-old Cameron Schmidt, the System Head Ranger at Pumba Private Game Reserve, captured this cute and playful sighting on camera. Cameron shared the sighting with LatestSightings.com.
“It was a typical day at Pumba; we had found the resident lion pride when I noticed the big dad lion resting, with the rest of his pride nearby, and the cubs playing in the thicket.” The playful cubs, full of curiosity, decided to explore their surroundings until eventually, their father’s flicking tail caught their attention.
The dad lion’s tail was swishing back and forth, not out of playfulness, but because of the flies buzzing around the kill they had just made. However, to the mischievous cubs, this moving tail seemed like the perfect plaything. They kept sneaking up on it, pouncing, and pulling, totally focused on its movement.
The dad lion, trying to rest, grew a bit grumpy with this game, he was losing out on some precious sleep. He let out a few growls, hoping to teach his little ones a lesson and chase them off. But the cubs, much like naughty kids, weren’t easily discouraged. They would take a few steps back reassess, and come right back and start all over again!
Finally, after a few more attempts at tail-catching the cubs got brave enough to grab it with their teeth, that’s when the dad had enough! He jumped up in frustration and that was when the little cubs decided that it was best if they stopped. They ran off, like little rascals that have been caught red-handed. You could even hear their playful chatter, responding to their dad’s shouting, as they moved on to find new games to play.
“We’re one of the few reserves in the Eastern Cape, similar to Sanbona in the Western Cape, to have free-roaming white lions.” Contrary to some beliefs, these white lions are not albinos but have a genetic condition known as leucism, giving them a distinctive appearance with eye colors ranging from green to blue.
“These lions, including the white ones, are thriving here. They’re experienced hunters, having taken down prey as large as giraffes. Despite their bright white color, they seem to still find a way to stalk and hunt their prey in the green eastern Cape landscape.”
