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കഥയിങ്ങനെ: വടക്കന്‍ ബോറ്റ്‌സ്വാനയിലെ ഒരു
സിംഹക്കൂട്ടം ഒരു ബാബൂണ്‍ കൂട്ടത്തെ ആക്രമിച്ചു. ഒരു സിംഹി ഒരു പെണ്‍കുരങ്ങിനെ
കടിച്ചുകീറാന്‍ ശ്രമിക്കുമ്പോള്‍ അതിന്റെ വയറ്റില്‍
അള്ളിപ്പിടിച്ചിരിക്കുകയായിരുന്ന കുട്ടിക്കുരങ്ങന്‍ പുറത്തേക്ക് വീണു. കുട്ടിയെ
കണ്ട് കണ്‍ഫ്യൂഷനിലായത് സിംഹം. അമ്മ അതിനകം മരണപ്പെട്ടിരുന്നു. കുട്ടിക്കുരങ്ങന്റെ
നിസാഹയതയവും ദയനീയനോട്ടവും സിംഹത്തിന്റെ മനസിനെ ആടിയുലച്ച് കളഞ്ഞു എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞാല്‍
മതിയല്ലോ. അമ്മക്കുരങ്ങനെ കൊന്ന കുറ്റബോധത്തിന്റെ തീക്കുണ്ഠത്തില്‍
നീറിപ്പുകഞ്ഞത് കൊണ്ടാവാം സിംഹം കുട്ടിക്കുരങ്ങനെ സ്വന്തം കുഞ്ഞെന്ന പോലെ
കൂടെക്കൂട്ടി. ഇത് കഥയല്ല, നടന്ന യഥാര്‍ഥസംഭവമാണ്. നാഷണല്‍ ജിയോഗ്രാഫിക്
ചാനലിന്റെ ഫോട്ടോഗ്രാഫര്‍ ഇവാന്‍ ഷില്ലര്‍ ആണ് ഈ അപൂര്‍വ്വനിമിഷങ്ങള്‍
ക്യാമറയില്‍ പകര്‍ത്തിയത്.
This
is one of the most remarkable wildlife interactions that I have come across in
my time. The photographs are amazing, but it’s the touching behaviour of
the animals involved that makes this story so unique.
Photographer Evan Schiller and Lisa Holzwarth were on a game drive
in the northern Botswana’s Selinda area when they came across a big troop of
baboons charging through the bush.“30-40 baboons were
heading in our general direction making a lot of noise,” Lisa recalls.
The baboons were
obviously frightened by something and they all scampered up trees, shouting,
alarming, and making a big scene. It quickly became clear what the problem was:
two large lionesses came out of the tall grass and rushed the baboons into the
trees, soon joined by two more lionesses.“Between the baboons
shrieking and the lionesses communicating with deep guttural roars, it was a
mad scene,” Lisa says.But then the real
chaos began! One brave baboon descended the dead tree and tried to make a run
for it… but got snapped up in the jaws of a lioness.
The lioness grabbed a female baboon on the run. But there was
something else there… As the baboon lay dying in the jaws of the lioness, a
little baby (less than a month old) slowly disengaged from its mother’s body.
Photograph by Evan Schiller
Instinct took over and the baby tried to make a go for a tree,
but did not have the strength to climb. At this point the lioness noticed the
“little guy” and went over to investigate. Photograph by Evan Schiller
 |
Instead of snapping the baby up in a deadly movement, she
started to play with the baboon. Photograph by Evan SchillerThe lioness was inquisitive and gentle at the same time.
Photograph by Evan Schiller
“The baby was showing
signs of physical harm and fatigue from the whole ordeal. The lioness picked
the baby up in her mouth—it was in agony watching the baby’s ordeal—and I kept
on turning off the video option on my camera because it was hard to record.”
After a while she picked up the baboon softly in her mouth and
walked away, then settled down with the baby between her paws. Photograph by
Evan Schiller
In a strange behavioural twist, the baboon started to try and
suckle the lioness. Photograph by Evan SchillerWhat happened next
blew our minds – the baby, in another instinctual moment, held onto the
lioness’ chest and tried to suckle…
Photograph by Evan Schiller
The lioness got distracted—this time by two male lions who
arrived on the scene. Their advances, however, were met with aggression by the
lioness. Was she defending the baby baboon? Or just uninterested in their
mating advances? Photograph by Evan Schiller
Here’s where it gets
interesting: Waiting in a nearby tree is a big male baboon, who is obviously
intent on saving the baby. The male lions were causing such a ruckus that it
presented a short window of opportunity for the brave hero to descend the tree,
grab the baby and head back to safety.
“I was touched by how
gently the father baboon held this little baby who was in tough shape after its
ordeal.”
The heroic male baboon, having just saved the baby from the
lions, cradled him in his arms. Photograph by Evan Schiller
The father baboon had to make a move. Holding the baby, in all
sorts of contorted positions, he tried numerous times to climb down the tree.
He tested the lionesses’ interest with each descent. Photograph by Evan
Schiller
The baby baboon was
really struggling with the heat and the father baboon really needed to get him
into the shade. Finally, with the combination of daring courage and the lions
own desire to take cover in some shade, he was able to dash to the safety and
shade of a neighbouring tree.
And what happened to
the baby? It seems the little guy survived with the help of his troop. He was
alive and safe in his father’s arms when Evan and Lisa left.
“No matter what,” Lisa
says. “The young baboon remains an inspiration to me—and a reminder, that life
is fragile and no matter how much we fight to control its outcome, all we can
do is live in the moment.”
Prof. John Kurakar
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