“Love Ball” The lioness climbed yhe tree and stood on a branch…”Arhoo….Arhoo…” she called in a low voice. That call as we found out was lion for “kids, come over here.” From all directions, from all sorts of tangles and shrubs and grasses, lion cubs trotted out. They greeted mom in a pile and love was all around. Tanzania]
“A Drink with Mom” It’s not every day that you get to spend time with a mother Jaguar and her cub but that’s just what we got to do this particular morning in the Pantanal. She showed her cub the riverbanks and took breaks as her little caught up. Here, mom stopped for a drink and her cub joined her. [Brazil]
“Sun Salute” Each morning, the Ring-tailed Lemurs face the sun to warm their bodies. My body temp seems to run cold so I know how nice that can feel. Here a mother faces the sun warming her body and that of her little one. [Madagascar]
“The Cat Stroller” Lionesses are very protective of their cubs especially when they are very young. They raise them away from the pride for the first two months of their lives. Here, a mother lion carries one of her two cubs to a safe spot in thickets to spend the night. The tall grass and hummocks had tired those little legs. [Kenya]
“The Best Water” After eating, lions often want to have a drink to cleanse their palette. Knowing this, we went over to the nearest watering hole we could find and setup for that. It was a bit of a wait, but it paid off as the whole pride came in. Here, three young lions jokey for one small sot. The water must have tasted extra good there. Or, maybe they just liked being near each other. [Botswana]
“Surprise! Mama has a Baby!” Brazil is full of surprises. This morning, we were hoping to get to see a Giant Anteater. We went out before dawn and watched for shadows. Lo and behold our eyes fell upon one foraging the field. After spending some time with it, it disappeared into a thicket bit moments later, she emerged, wither baby on her back! [Brazil]
“Big Kiss” Ahhh! When mama comes in for a big kiss and a cuddle, just soak it up! [Kenya]
“Adopted” When a Canada goose lays an egg in a Sandhill Crane nest you get a mixed family. It happened during a big rainstorm when the goose’s nest was flooded and lost. The cranes as their own, even teaching it to eat worms. [Michigan]
“Kisses for Mom” We have Groundhogs around our house and they are pretty fun to watch, especially when they have rolly-polly young ones. Here, one of the little ones comes out of the burrow and shares a nuzzle with mom. [Michigan]
“Spunky Little Cub” This yearling Brown Bear cub was ready to play. So, taunting mom, he rose up like a big bear on two legs and tried to give her a swat. Mom took it well and played back gently but eventually bowled him over. He seemed to enjoy it. [Alaska]
“Three Brothers” Cheetahs are an endangered species that are on the brink of extinction die to humans taking over their habitat and hunting them, as well as competition from other wildlife. Of all the cats, they require more territory to survive. Here, three brothers, form a coalition. They will hunt together for a while helping each other survive.[Kenya]
“Learning the ropes” One of the most important roles of all animal mothers is to teach their little ones how to get by in the world. [Kenya]
“A Little Snuggle” We watched this family of five fox kits play. The romped and pounced, bit and hid. It was full on play but as they tired, they also snuggled and reinforced their bonds with each other. [Newfoundland]
“Newborn Chick” This was the first Sandhill crane chick that I ever got to see hatch from an egg and watch grow up. The dedication of the parents was wonderful to see. [Michigan]
“Rough Housing” Two Brown bear cubs playing in the sedges. The one on the right was a little smaller but definitely gave it right back to its sibling. [Alaska]