A three-legged lion survived crocodile-infested waters in what scientists believe is the longest swim ever made by the animal – all to find a lioness.
Jacob, a 10-year-old lion whose leg was amputated after getting caught in a poacher’s trap four years ago, swam 1.5km across Uganda‘s Kazinga Channel with brother Tibu.
The waterway is home to one of the densest populations of crocodiles in Africa, with hippos also lurking in the deep at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
The pair were filmed aborting two attempts to cross as they tried to shake a suspected crocodile or hippo from their trail, before finally setting off at the third try.
Lions have previously been recorded swimming up to 200 metres – some of which are cut short in deadly attacks.
The lions were trailed by another animal. Pic: Luke Ochse
The lions, seen as two small dots in the water here, making the final crossing. Pic: Luke Ochse
But the pair’s swim, documented in a study co-led by Griffith University in Australia and Northern Arizona University, may have been driven by an added motivation.
On the prowl for females
“It’s likely the brothers were looking for females,” said Dr Alexander Braczkowski, from Griffith University.
The study, published in Ecology and Evolution, states there are a “very low” number of lionesses in the park.
The lions had just lost a fight for “female affection” in the hours before the swim, according to Dr Braczkowski.
Intrepid swimmers Jacob and Tibu. Pic: Griffith University
“Competition for lionesses in the park is fierce… so it’s likely the duo mounted the risky journey to get to the females on the other side of the channel,” he added.
“There is a small connecting bridge to the other side but the presence of people was probably a deterrent for them.”
‘Cat with nine lives’
Jacob has already survived threats to his life at the park, having lost most of his family to poison for the lion body part trade.
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He was also once gored by a buffalo – all of which makes him “Africa’s most resilient lion” and a “cat with nine lives”, Dr Braczkowski said.
“The fact that he and his brother Tibu have managed to survive as long as they have in a national park that has experienced significant human pressures and high poaching rates is a feat in itself,” he added.
“His swim, across a channel filled with high densities of hippos and crocodiles, is a record-breaker and is a truly amazing show of resilience in the face of such risk.”
The swim is “another important example”, he added, of wildlife species having to “make tough decisions” to find homes and mates in a “human-dominated world”.