In one of the oddest animal pairing, a wild lioness in a Kenyan reserve dubbed kamunyak, adapted a baby oryx in 2001. The lioness wouldn’t let it out of her sight. Neither ate while they were together – the lioness didn’t hunt and the young calf had no way to get milk. For weeks, the pair travelled together. One morning, another lion leapt out of the bushes and killed the baby. Kamunyak went on to adopt five more oryx calves in this way!
It is believed that in the past, Kamunyak had a sister. However, her solitary life could be a result of being kicked out of a pride. Perhaps her pride became too large and sub-groups split off to form new lion prides. Perhaps she was cast out as a single lioness and had to fend for herself, in between warring territorial prides, as a vagrant nomadic female, eking out an existence on the periphery.
Kamunyak was last sighted in February 2004, then she eventually disappeared, and despite a number of searches, has not been seen since.
Picture Credit : Google
