They depict a disfigured lion crossing a river infested with crocodiles to find a female

Two lions, Jacob and Tipu, achieved an unprecedented feat in February 2024 by crossing the Kazinga Channel in Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park. The crossing, documented by Alex Brachkowski of Griffith University and photographer Luke Oakes, revealed the cats' determination to find mating partners. These images were taken using a drone equipped with a thermal camera. You can see lions swimming for about 1.5 kilometers in waters filled with crocodiles and hippos. The New York Times .

Jacob, who lost his leg in a fishermen's trap, braved the dangers of this crossing, despite swimming slower than his brother. “It's unbelievable, this guy has three legs.”“, commented Alex Braczkowski. The two lions made several attempts before crossing successfully.

An “annihilating” population.

So their main motive was to search for females. In fact, there was a lion population in this area “Your family” Due to human conflicts and poaching, according to the scientist. Only about forty individuals remain, with a large disparity between males and females, the magazine notes geography . there 'Enormous pressure on males to find a mate'Alex Braczkowski confirmed. In fact, there are twice as many males as females in the region.

Craig Packer, a lion expert, confirmed to… The New York Times The lack of females drives lions to take extreme risks. A study of the exploits of Jacob and Tipu should soon appear in the magazine Environment and evolution.