Lion Cub Washed Away in Stream, Mother Comes to Rescue

28-year-old guide at Sabi Sands, Callum Robertson, was able to capture this rare moment on camera and shared it with LatestSightings.com.

“We had been searching for these lion cubs for a while. We had a general idea of their whereabouts and headed in that direction. Finally, we found them on the other side of a flooding river. It was a tense moment as we watched the cubs crawl out of the reeds and prepare to cross the dangerous waters.”

Lions are not known for their love of water and only swim when necessary, so it was a surprise when the cubs began showing intent to cross. “We held our breath. One of my guests couldn’t even watch as she had her head tucked between her legs.”

“In the end, we had a sigh of relief as the mother was able to swim to safety with the one cub, but the question of how she was going to fetch the other cub still lingered.”

Lionesses have incredible motherly instincts and dedication to their cubs. From protecting them from predators to teaching them how to hunt, lionesses are always there for their cubs. They nurse their young to care for them until they reach adulthood.

“Our relief was short-lived as the second cub was swept away by the strong currents. We watched in horror as it struggled to stay afloat. To our amazement, the little cub managed to swim back towards its mother. Our hearts were in our throats as we waited to see what would happen next.”

“Thankfully, the mother lioness proved her worth as she plunged into the water to rescue her cub. We watched as she swam towards her struggling baby and brought it safely to shore.”

A lion cub gets swept away in a flooding river but swims for its life to reach mom, only to get washed away again. This time mom swims after it and saves it from drowning.