If you’re having a bit of a difficult Monday, I’ve got just the thing to cheer you up.

Kurt Schultz, owner of Kurt Safari, was taking some photos in the Kruger National Park, when he spotted something rare and special.

A baboon had acquired a lion cub, and it looked like it was ready to adopt.

Big On Wild with more from Schultz:

“I drove onto the S21, one of the roads near Skukuza where I came across a troop of baboons being restless. Being early morning this is relatively common, but then I noticed a baboon carrying something and the rest of the troop were interested in that baboon. The baboon was not visible and I spent some time at the sighting as I was told it was possibly a lion cub.”

Image credit: Kurt Safaris

“I first thought it was a female baboon but it was in actuality a young male baboon. The young baboon crossed the road and climbed up a marula tree.

Image credit: Kurt Safaris

I waited for about 30 min before it came into view and was moving from tree to tree, the rest of the troop then moved away and the baboon was grooming and caring for the lion cub as if this was a young baboon.”

It calls to mind that ‘circle of life’ scene in The Lion King where Simba, a lion cub, is lifted above the African plains by Rafiki, the baboon:

Schultz says that in his 20 years of guiding, he’s never seen “a baboon nurturing and caring for a young predator cub”.

It’s doubtful that this would have ended well, however, with a lion cub unlikely to survive amongst a troop of baboons.

Still, what a sighting.

[source:bigonwild]