Samburu National Reserve was once home to a very interesting and unusual lioness called Kamunyak, who left many people perplexed when she adopted a baby oryx between 2001 and 2002.
Kamunyak, meaning “blessed one” in the local Samburu language, was about three years old when she adopted her first oryx calf. Unfortunately, the union was short lived when her first calf’s life was snubbed out by a hungry male lion. This happened when Kamunyak had gone to drink water from a nearby river.
She moved in the same territory with a pride of seven lions in the heart of Samburu National Reserve, one of the better feeding grounds for lions. When she adopted the oryx calves, she moved to a small area and disappeared for months. The lioness also adopted five other oryx calves in a span of one year. Experts were at a loss to explain the big cat's affection towards the calves.
According to wildlife experts in Kenya, the lioness was unable to conceive her own cubs and sought satisfaction through other species. She showed full awareness of the calves’ species when she allowed a biological mother to feed the calf, later chasing her away. However, the lioness lived a solitary life, most often alone, which led her to be kicked out of a pride.
The lioness would often remain with the oryx calves for 16 days and kept a vigilant eye on them. She would typically forgo hunting while raising the calves, too concerned for their safety, and fought off predators or lion prides that attempted to eat the calves.
She was last seen in February 2004 and, despite a number of searches, has never been found.
Kamunyak’s story was recorded by Saba Douglas-Hamilton and her sister Dudu between January 2002 and August 2003. Their film, Heart of a Lioness, was first shown on BBC and later premiered in the United States on Animal Planet in March 2005.
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