© Jane Wynyard

April was a difficult month for Ewaso Lions as we kept watch over Nanai’s one-year old cub injured by a male lion in Samburu National Reserve. Shivani led the operation from Ewaso Lions’ side. From the Kenya Wildlife Service side, we are grateful that our resident vet and his team were on hand to make a professional assessment of her injuries, dart her and treat her. But after several agonizing days and nights, keeping her safe and hoping she would show improvement, the vet took the harrowing decision to put her out of her misery.

While much of the team is not over the death, it was amazing to see how everyone rallied. Jeneria, Solomon and Yesalai did not leave her side for 5 days straight, with supplies of food, water and encouragement being ferried by the Ewaso Lions team with some useful supplies from Save the Elephants to keep everyone sustained. Munteli and the Mama Simba ladies sat with her for hours. Munteli’s video of the injured cub was painful to watch. She sent it to the whole team to say how sad she was that this little cub at the cusp of life suffered so.

No matter how many years go by, or triumphs proclaimed, the hardest thing for our team is losing a lion. In this case, we have to accept that nature took its course, and that the team, and the lions of northern Kenya will live to fight another day.