A Lioness Saves a Fox Cub in Distress
When wildlife photographer Graham Dyer witnessed a lioness approach an injured fox cub, he was certain of its fate. But what happened next was completely unexpected.
It all began when a lioness stumbled upon a fox cub, lying injured and defenseless right on a path within her pride's territory. Usually, foxes fall prey to large predators, so when the fox saw the lioness standing before him, he must have felt sheer terror and helplessness.
The situation got even more dire as a formidable lion and several cubs began to curiously sniff around the injured animal.
"When we arrived, there were several lions around the small fox, which seemed to have spinal injuries - it was struggling to stand on its hind legs," recounted photographer Graham Dyer.
Despite lions typically not participating in hunting themselves, this particular lion prepared to take his chances with the small fox, getting ready to attack.
Then, the lioness’s maternal instincts kicked in. She stood between them, shielding the little fox with her body. Surprisingly, she wasn’t intimidated by the lion’s size and refused to leave the injured fox.
The lion was far from pleased, but eventually left the area without harming the fox cub. The lioness returned to her cubs, and the injured fox made a hasty escape.
