A baby lion becomes vegan after attempting to play with his siblings. His siblings reject him, and he turns to the grass for some attention.
Lee Whittam from Essential Africa Guided Safaris was fortunate enough to capture this incredibly cute display on camera. He shared the story with LatestSightings.com.
“After a few minutes of scanning the area, I spotted the pride of lions lying lazily under the shade of a nearby tree. I watched on as they yawned and stretched, completely oblivious to my presence.”
“As I continued to observe them, the youngest member of the pride caught my attention—a tiny lion cub who appeared to be eager to play with its siblings. Unfortunately, it seemed that the other cubs weren’t interested in playing with their younger brother, as they turned him down. Perhaps his significantly smaller size was the reason for their rejection.”
Lion cubs are some of the cutest creatures you’ll ever come across. They’re born blind and helpless, and it’s not until they’re around six weeks old that they begin to open their eyes and start exploring the world around them. At this age, they’re still incredibly vulnerable, and it’s not uncommon for them to fall prey to other predators.
“The disappointment could be seen in his small, glistening eyes. Instead of accepting defeat, he began to explore his surroundings, wobbling unsteadily on his tiny paws. I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as I watched him playfully pounce on tufts of grass and take a curious nibble on some grass stems.”
Perhaps you may ask, “Why was the lion eating grass?” It turns out that lions do occasionally eat grass, although it’s not entirely clear why. Some experts believe that it helps them to purge any parasites from their stomachs, while others think that it may aid in digestion.
Eventually, the young cub settled down close to its mother. Playtime with siblings, sticks, and rocks forms a major part of lion cub development. It aids the little cubs in becoming efficient hunters and defenders of territories.