Amy Hofart sent this video to Latest Sightings. She filmed the unusual behaviour while on a game drive in the Greater Kruger Conservancy in South Africa.
From the forest to the savannah
Expert tree-climbers, leopards are as at home in the tree canopy as they are on the ground. Unlike most of their relatives, their paws are quite flexible. This, along with their relatively small, yet powerful, frame enables them to climb with ease.
Lions, on the other hand, are not quite so comfortable above ground-level. Thought to have left the forest for the open savannah around 2-million years ago, there paws have grown more rigid.
This has given them better mobility over land, at the cost of agility in trees.
Stashed remains
So, when Amy and her companions found some lions at the base of a tree that held the remains of a small antelope, she started filming.
In the image above, we see one of the young lionesses making her way up the tree trunk. The remains, those of a grey duiker, are still several metres above her.
Can hunt, will scavenge
While most lions tend not to climb trees, they will make exceptions, especially where food is involved. This also contradicts the common misconception that they are not scavengers.
In truth, lions will more readily scavenge than is commonly thought, preferring to save their energy where they can.
As we watch the lioness ascend, it is clear that she is not altogether comfortable climbing. Her paws scrabble for purchase, and it looks like she could fall at any moment.
However, she is determined to get to the meat hanging above her; the only question at this stage is: can she make it?
Anchoring herself with the 4-centimetre-long claws of her front paws, she then digs in her hind claws and pushes herself upward. Slowly but surely, she gets closer to her goal.
Success!
Eventually, after finding a way through a tangle of branches, she reaches what is left of the duiker. Only the head and forequarters remain.
Nevertheless, having achieved her goal, it is now time for her to get back down. And, like many a domestic cat has shown, getting up is the easy part.
Before you celebrate…
It’s getting down that is tricky. Especially if you’re a 120-kilogram-plus cat whose ancestors foresook trees for a good reason.
As she found herself momentarily stranded, she pondered her options. Of which, dropping her prize to the ground was not an option. For down below, her siblings waited.
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Not all forgotten
Subsequently, after devouring the remains, she had no choice but to go for it..
She began a headfirst descent, her muscles quivering as she fought gravity…
As a young lion, and still fairly supple, she came down the trunk in a staggered series of movements. To her credit, she kept her balance well…
Until she was about 3 metres from the ground. At this point, with momentum nearly overtaking her, she opted to leap the remaining distance.
Landing next to her sisters, she’d clearly had enough tree-climbing for the day. There is no way of knowing if she related her story to her siblings, but apparently, one of them had to see for herself.
And so, despite having watched her sister’s treetop troubles, it came as a surprise when a second lioness made its way up the trunk. Talk about being a copycat!
