| Wonders in the world come in all shape and sizes. | | | | two females who are thought to come from the |
| In Kenya, East Africa on December 2002, the | | | | same territory. She was skulking around the edge |
| world woke up to the most unimaginable news. | | | | of a giraffe carcass that the pride of 7 lions had |
| The Blessed Lioness among African Lions: | | | | been feeding on. There are several theories that |
| A 2-3 year old lioness 'Kamunyak' had adopted a | | | | have been proposed to explain this extra ordinary |
| Fledgling young Oryx calf. The news was treated | | | | behavior of the female African lion. |
| with a lot of skepticism since an Oryx is a type | | | | 1) The question has been raised whether this |
| of antelope upon which lions usually prey. Experts | | | | could have begun on a hunt with an unusually long |
| were at a loss to explain the big cat's affection | | | | game of cat and mouse, where after 24 hours |
| towards the calves. The lioness, nicknamed | | | | she bonded with the calf. Sub-adults have been |
| Kamunyak, or The Blessed One, by locals, had | | | | known to play with mongooses and other small |
| protected her adopted young from danger and | | | | species over a short period of time. However |
| had allowed them to nurse from their biological | | | | three weeks suggests that the cat and mouse |
| mothers. | | | | game turned into something else. However, now |
| The Hungry Lion King: | | | | on her 6th adoption, it seems that the lioness |
| According to wildlife experts in Kenya, believe the | | | | actively goes in search of Oryx calves to kidnap. |
| lioness might have been unable to conceive her | | | | 2) The Samburu people suggested Kamunyak is |
| own cub and had ''unfulfilled maternal instincts. | | | | barren. However this seems unlikely considering |
| "Unfortunately the union was short lived and the | | | | that her body is responding to an overactive |
| 1st calf's life was snubbed out by a hungry male | | | | maternal drive. Plus she was so young and it is |
| King Lion. This happened when Kamunyak had | | | | very difficult to tell whether a female is barren. |
| gone to drink water from a river. The African | | | | 3) She could have a serious hormonal imbalance, |
| Lion is known for being overly aggressive of cubs | | | | which is triggering this abnormal behavior with |
| calves sired by other males... let alone one from | | | | another species. There have been records of |
| an Oryx. | | | | lioness with huge cysts on their ovaries that |
| Lioness adoption history: | | | | affect their behavior, but perhaps not to this |
| Three years have passed and astonishingly | | | | degree. |
| Kamunyak, (the lioness' Samburu name), had in | | | | 4) According to a scientist who has studied |
| total adopted six Oryx calves. The sequence of | | | | elephant reproduction, phantom pregnancies are |
| her adoptions are as follows:o Dec - Jan 2002 1st | | | | quite common in feline species. It could be |
| Adoption: 16 days - calf eaten by male lion;o Feb | | | | compared to domestic dogs that have phantom |
| 2002 2nd Adoption: 2-3 days - calf rescued by | | | | pregnancies and start lactating. If a lioness' rank |
| Kenya Wildlife Service(KWS);o Apr 2002 3rd | | | | affects their endocrinology perhaps a phantom |
| Adoption: 2 days - calf rescued by mother, lioness | | | | pregnancy is a possible explanation. |
| injured;o May 2002 4th Adoption: 24 hrs - calf | | | | 5) Kamunyak only adopted Oryx calves. Like all |
| abandoned, rescued by mother;o Sept 2002 5th | | | | cats, lions have acute vision primed especially to |
| Adoption: 2 days - calf starves to death, and | | | | pick up on movement. But they do not seem to |
| when dead is eaten by the lioness (lions | | | | be very good at individual recognition from a |
| sometimes eat their own cubs when they die).o | | | | distance, and rely primarily on their sense of smell |
| Jan 2003 6th Adoption: 24 hours - calf escapes | | | | at close quarters to identify one another. Oryx |
| back to its mother, shortly after there were | | | | calves are remarkably similar in colour to the |
| reports of a battle between Kamunyak and other | | | | tawny coat of an African lion, and it is possible |
| females. | | | | that once the lioness had locked onto the smell of |
| Lioness age: | | | | "cub" in the calf then it's lack of a feline physique |
| It is thought that Kamunyak may be around 7 | | | | ceased to matter. |
| years old now. She was estimated to be about 2 | | | | 6) The park rangers suggested that she found |
| to 3 years old when she adopted her first Oryx | | | | the calf shortly after it was born and the smell of |
| calf, so she was still an adolescent. Kamunyak | | | | the amniotic sack on the calf's body triggered |
| was most often alone. She seemed to move in | | | | some kind of maternal response. |
| the same territory as a pride of 7 lions, which is in | | | | The fact is that we will never really be sure by in |
| the heart of Samburu National Reserve, and is | | | | the middle of the Kenyan game reserve, a young |
| possibly one of the better feeding grounds for | | | | female African Lion decided to start adopting |
| Samburu African lions. | | | | Oryx calves. And not just one, but six different |
| When she adopted Oryx calves she moved in a | | | | calves at different days and for increasingly longer |
| very small area and when she was alone she | | | | durations. Sometimes even to her expense as |
| sometimes disappeared for months. She has not | | | | she could not effectively hunt so as to keep |
| been seen since February 2004. If she shares the | | | | guard; a fact that emaciated her to a point of |
| same territory as the pride of 7 African Lions, | | | | near death. |
| could she possibly have had a history with the | | | | Where to see the cast Today: |
| pride in whose territory she resided?. | | | | Samburu, one of the calves rescued by the |
| It is believed that in the past Kamunyak had a | | | | Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) was taken to an |
| sister. However her solitary life could be a result | | | | orphanage in Nairobi. The Oryx is now a fully |
| of being kicked out of a pride. Perhaps her pride | | | | grown male. In September 2006 he had a fight |
| became too large and sub-groups split off to | | | | with another orphaned antelope and one of his |
| form new lion prides. Perhaps she was cast out | | | | long horns broke. The KWS were quick to |
| as a single lioness and had to fend for herself, in | | | | administer veterinary aid and he is now fine but |
| between warring territorial prides, as a vagrant | | | | will have to do with a single horn. |
| nomadic female, eking out an existence on the | | | | The operation on the wound was recorded on |
| periphery. | | | | tape as most of his life in the orphanage probably |
| Theories: | | | | for visitor education on their Kenyan tour. He has |
| Kamunyak had been seen hunting warthogs and | | | | continually attracted a lot of tourists in the Nairobi |
| other small prey. During the first adoption when | | | | National Park -Orphanage on their Kenyan Tour. |
| she remained with the Oryx for 16 days, she | | | | He continues in good health. Kamunyak, the |
| kept a 24 hour vigil over the Oryx. Despite being | | | | Lioness has not been seen for over 2 years now |
| very thin and hungry, when she caught sight of | | | | and all we can guess is that she got her groove |
| prey she refused to let the Oryx out of her sight. | | | | back. |
| In February 2003 she was seen in a big fight with | | | | |