A Photographer Looking For Lions
Graham Dyer is a wildlife photographer from Johannesburg, South Africa. He was working in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana, hoping to capture lions in nature. Often times, photographers have to wait long and exhausting days without being able to capture much of anything interesting at all. He had no idea he would capture a "once in a lifetime" event that changes nature's story...
It is a rare occasion to catch animal behavior out of the ordinary, but when it happens, it can be amazing. Graham’s patience paid off well one day when he was able to capture a remarkable story of a family of lions. His photographs exposed truths about nature we never imagined could happen! Click through to see the incredible story Graham was able to capture.
It was a warm day in April when photographer Graham Dyer was walking through the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in South Africa. The reserve, which is situated in the national park in the Botswana’s Kalahari Desert, is approximately double the size of Massachusetts.An Injured Fox
As the lion population is declining in the Kalahari Desert, Graham initially just hoped he would find a group of lions at all. It turns out he found much more than what he was looking for...
Graham heard animal cries of pain, and followed the noise until he found an injured fox in a dirt pathway. He said "a bat-eared fox and had evidently injured its spine as it couldn't stand on its hind legs." Of course, Graham finds this very sad, but the African desert is a brutal place.Hungry Lions Nearby
But then he heard something even more concerning...
Graham hears movement nearby, and cautiously goes over to investigate. He realizes that this injured fox has lead him straight to a large and majestic group of lions! He is partially excited, because he has now found exactly what he is looking for.How Can He Help The Fox?
But he is also concerned for the fox, because it is in grave danger near this group of lions. Graham assumes he knows exactly what will happen to this poor fox when the lions find him. But he is soon to be proved wrong...
Graham realizes he really has no way to help this fox. Worse, if he approaches the fox, the lions may think that Graham is trying to steal their food.
Something Different About this Group of Lions?
Then Graham would become the food. So he settles in to observe and photograph the lions, just as he had set out to do, while trying to figure out if there is any way he can help...
At first, it just seemed like a regular old day of lion observing. While it can sometimes be rare to capture beautiful photographs of animals in wildlife at all, what Graham was about to capture was exceptionally stunning. What he thought would be a normal day turned out to be something he would remember forever… He realized after quite some time, that the head female lion was nowhere to be found.
The Head Lion Heard Something Concerning
The female lions do usually go off to hunt--however, they normally go in groups. Where would the head lioness be gone all day, off by herself? Both Graham AND the head lion were about to find out.
Suddenly, the head of the family, a large male lion, heard something that startled his rest. He quickly interrupted his nap to begin investigating. Not only was the lion excited, but Graham was very nervous to see what happens when the lion find this injured fox, or possibly found his lioness.The Lion Finds the Unexpected
Was he about to fight off a predator? Capture lunch? Quite the opposite, Graham would soon find out.
The male lion approaches to find this scene--his female queen calmly investigating this injured fox. The female lion seems to be cool and collected, not immediately attacking.The Female Becomes Protective
Graham isn’t able to see what, or who, might have hurt the fox, but it is apparent there’s been some harm done to his back legs, as normally the fox would be long gone by now after running into the large lion. You’ll never guess what happened next…
Once the male approaches, he’s quick to decide that he either wants to kill the fox for food, or kill him to defend his family. Here is where something amazing begins to happen... The lioness has opposite intentions, as she wants to instead protect the fox as best as possible.The King Lion Backs Down
Rather than eating the injured animal that would normally be her prey, she does not even ALLOW her king to eat this animal. She decides to fight the king lion in order to protect the injured fox. How did the king of the jungle do next?
The King Lion Backs Down
She definitely isn’t afraid to fight off her king and do whatever it takes to protect the already hurt fox. He seems to understand this, and lays off a bit, letting her have what she wants like a true queen. After some roaring and sass from the female, the male seems to receive the message.The Rest of The Herd Grows Curious
He loses interest in eating the injured fox. For a moment, it seems like this little fox might be safe. But unfortunately, he's only made nice with two lions out of a whole group of hungry predators...
Once the king backs off, everyone can begin to calm down a little bit. It seems that this unlikely group is growing comfortable around each other.Is The Entire Herd About To Fight?
But they can't get too comfortable. After all the commotion of the lions fighting and the fox whining out in pain, the rest of the herd decides to come explore what is happening.
The cubs grow extremely curious. It’s rare for them to run into a nonthreatening animal, especially one the size of them! The mother isn’t afraid of the fox, and protects him, showing that he’s not dangerous and neither are her little cubbies. For a moment it looks as if they are all about to get aggressive.The Fox Doesn't Leave Momma's Side
But luckily, the queen lion continues her miracle of protection, and puts the other lions and cubs in their places. They all seem to understand that this fox isn't food for now. Graham wonders how long this situation can possibly last for. What happens when the fox isn't next to the head female any more?
Still scared, the fox refuses to leave the queen mama’s side as he meets the rest of the family. Everyone else seems relaxed as well, and just want to investigate and explore what’s going on with the fox. The fox is still hurt, however, so he can’t get completely comfortable yet.The Group Accepts that the Fox Isn't Lunch
He’s still quite defensive and scared, but the rest of the herd is being as welcoming and calm as possible to help out the fox in his stressful time. It's truly like nothing we have realistically seen from the animal kingdom before.
The male lion seems comfortable around the fox now, and no longer wishes to harm the fox. Now it’s time to decide what to do! The fox understands now that they aren’t a threat, and he’s able to lay down a bit, no longer fearing too much for his life.Everyone Can Finally Relax
He still can’t go far because of his injuries, and he’s made it clear he’s still too uneasy to leave the queen lioness’s side. It's an amazing sight to see a fox lying down between two lions without getting eaten!
After all of the commotion, everyone decides it’s time to relax for a bit and get a little warm sunlight while the sun is still out. The fox has gotten to know everyone in the herd and has decided that they will be an ok fit for the time being.That Means It's Time To Go Get Lunch Elsewhere
The queen mama doesn’t have any plans to leave her new adopted son’s side, and decides to take a quick nap with him. Graham recognizes how strange this is, and wonders how long it will last.
The king has decided that it’s time to move on. The sun is setting, which means that soon predators will be out and the lion can’t risk running into any threats with all of his little cubs that he has to watch over.Mom Lion Doesn't Want To Leave The Injured Fox
The fox is still hurt however; he doesn’t seem to be able to stand quite yet. The mom doesn’t seemed concerned about moving on quite yet either, and doesn’t want to leave the fox’s side.
Like a true queen, the mama lioness calls the final shot and decides that they are staying put, as the fox just isn’t well enough to travel with the family, or stay alone without the protection of the mama. However, some commotion is heard and cries of either threats or food echo through the safari that concern Graham.What Happened to the Fox?
The lions clearly hear it. Most of the lions take off, leaving the little fox behind.
Graham grows concerned as he loses sight of the fox and part of the herd. He also hears what sounds to be like fighting. Did someone capture the fox?The Fox Still Can't Be Found
Is what he heard the fox being hunted? The lions don’t seem too concerned, but without seeing the fox, the worst can be assumed.
Even as some of the lions come back into view, the fox is still nowhere in sight. Graham is extremely concerned now, as it is apparent that the lions have been feeding on something. The lions cubs are cheery and playful and look as though they have been eating or getting into something.He Seems To Be Fine!
Graham assumes the worst, and figures the lions got too hungry and impatient and decided the fox was dinner instead of a friend. However, it seems unlikely that the once protective mom would let this happen. The story isn’t over yet!
Graham is able to spot the fox once again! It seems as though he’s fine as well, and doing a little better than he was before! It’s clearly bathtime for the baby cubs, meaning they must have just feasted.The Lions Aren't His Only Predators
Graham discovered that the lions met up with another herd close by after they caught dinner. The fox is fine, the cubs are full, and everything seems to be Ok again. However, the fox isn’t completely out of harm’s way just yet.
Graham stated he wasn’t able to get it on camera, but at one point, two hungry jackals came up and attacked the fox. The lions got a little too relaxed post dinner, and the fox ran off scared of what might happen with the jackals.The Lions Can't Get Involved
The lions watch the fight and commotion, scared of what is going to happen to their new friend. The fox can’t move too fast, and definitely can’t attack off two predators much larger than him during his injured time.
Although the lions are much larger and outnumber the two jackals, they still can’t risk getting involved. The king and queen have all of their little babies to watch over, and they can’t risk losing one of their own to defend an injured fox that they just met! It’s best for them to just stay out of it and watch over their family.He Was Able To Defend Himself!
Lions have enough enemies as is it is, and they don’t need anymore threats to their large and growing family. Although it’s devastating, it’s best if they just stay out of it. The story still isn’t over yet though!
The fox was able to defend himself and escape from the jackals! It’s truly a miracle that he was able to get away from two animals who were much stronger than him.He Came A Long Way!
They probably decided that either the fox wasn’t worth the fight anyways, as he’s tiny and injured, or they saw his large and threatening squad standing behind him having his back! That fox was definitely extremely lucky to have such a strong family behind his back!
The fox surely has come a long way since the beginning of his tragic journey. At first, he was just an injured little guy who wasn’t sure if he was going to make it. He met an amazing friend, a beautiful queen lioness who would do almost anything to make sure he wouldn’t be harmed.
He easily could’ve been the dinner of any animal in the kingdom, especially the royal family! But instead, he was able to become one of them! Such a sly little fox!