One Richmond Student's Summer of Adventure

29/08/2008

Raising Simbas: A Journey to Remember

By Claire Helfrich

As a kid, my favourite movie had always been The Lion King. I spent a good part of my childhood playing with my Simba toys, drawing Simba pictures, and fantasizing about real lions. In fact, until I was about ten years old, all those who knew me associated ‘Claire’ with ‘Simba.’ Then I grew out of it (or so I thought).

When I joined a volunteering program at a game reserve in South Africa over the summer, I was expecting to do a lot of ‘dirty work’ and small jobs – cleaning up after the animals, digging wells, repairing fences, recording population statistics – that sort of thing. I had also expected there to be up to eight other volunteers, along with sweltering African temperatures. No such luck.

I arrived at Kwantu Game Reserve (near Port Elizabeth) in African midwinter, with temperatures below 10°C, and learned that I was the only volunteer. And that the rangers were predominantly unsociable males (no joke – the head ranger/zoologist was actually nicknamed ‘the Savage’) who preferred the company of animals over humans. Great. Five weeks in the middle of the bush with two sweaters and no social interaction.

But then I met Bulldozer, a five-week-old lion cub. He was being hand-raised by one of the rangers. [Here I must explain that since Kwantu was a relatively new game reserve, the top predators (lions and cheetahs) were still being kept in captivity until all other populations in the reserve (from antelope down to the tinniest plant) had stabilized. While wild lionesses in a pride would get impregnated by the dominant male(s) at the same time, in captivity this is not the case. The more sporadic births create conflict between the lionesses, which can often result in the lions killing their own cubs. To prevent this, most of the lion cubs at Kwantu were hand-raised, to be rejoined with their own kind later]. Bulldozer was a real character. Cute, inquisitive, and with a big baby belly. He had just learned to walk, so when he’d get overexcited he would break into a wobbly trot and subsequently tumble into a pit in the uneven ground. My job was to play with him, care for his needs, and give him lots of TLC. I was more than happy to do that.

As it turned out, my real job didn’t reveal itself until the second week of my stay. In the early hours of the morning, three new fluffy arrivals took us all by surprise – one of the lionesses had been pregnant! As the head ranger’s house was already occupied by his own family, and since he had to attend to the 500 other species on the reserve, the responsibility o f caring for the lion cubs fell squarely on my shoulders (to my immense delight). I moved the three new cubs, along with Bulldozer, into my staff quarters, where I would serve as their fulltime au pair for the next three weeks.

The first few days the most fantastic and most terrifying at the same time. While I marvelled at how beautiful the newborns were, I lived in constant fear that one of them might not make it. I remember waking up a few times during the night to move the heat lamp, and I always checked if they were still breathing. The fact that Bulldozer was often lying smack on top of them didn’t ease my concern – but it did help to all four cubs warm. The days were hectic as I was launched head-first into motherhood. I was now fully responsible for newborn triplets and a toddler. At age 20, I was a mother of four – four kids who not only had to be fed, exercised, and pooped six times a day, as any human would, but kids who scratched, bit, growled, and sat on each other. It was no easy task, but a rewarding, unique experience nonetheless.

The coolest thing about the cubs was that lions go through stages of development just as humans do, but in a shorter time-frame. Over a span of five weeks, I was able to watch Bulldozer grow from a toothless bottle-sucker to a bouncing, pouncing meat-eater. My approach with him had to change, of course – no more cuddly naps on the sofa, this guy had to be taught how to play and fight if he ever wanted to be reunited with a pride. Instead of being transported by the scruff of his neck, Bulldozer now followed me everywhere and took every opportunity he could to sink his newly formed canines into my legs. The three younger cubs were a different story. I was able to see them grow from helpless, sluggish crawlers to adventurous little climbers. They seemed to double in size each day, and although I didn’t stay long enough to wean them, I am sure that by now these guys are probably eating their first warthog by now.

Taking care of four lion cubs over the period of a month has given me an invaluable experience that cannot be taken away from me (and I’ve got the scars to prove it). My past and potential future came together in a very unexpected way; on the one hand I lived my childhood fantasy of encountering a real Simba, and on the other hand I got my first taste of motherhood – something I had imagined would come much later down the road. While I now know that my maternal instincts are definitely in place, I must make a mental note to remind myself that when I do have children of my own, I must not roar to get their attention or give them a cuff in the face. It is very interesting how certain parts of your life come together at a time when you least expect it. Maybe it is not necessary to close the chapters of our past experiences entirely – you never know when a part of the old you resurfaces, and paves the way for future adventures.

Link to this page: http://www.richmond.ac.uk/n/548.aspx