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Male Baboon Kidnapped a Lion Cub that he Groomed and Cared for Like his Own Young

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WHAT’S BEING CLAIMED:

  • A male baboon was caught kidnapping a lion cub this weekend at South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
  • The baboon then groomed and cared for the cub as if it were his own young.
  • While the involvement of a lion cub is unusual, the act of kidnapping itself is a common behavior among monkeys in general.

A male baboon at South Africa’s Kruger National Park was caught in the act this weekend when he kidnapped a young lion cub, which he then groomed and cared for as if it were his own young.

Kurt Schultz, director of the Kurt Safari company, witnessed the encounter and was able to capture pictures of the incident.

Early on February 1, Schultz happened across a troop of restless baboons. After half an hour, he saw the baboon that was previously spotted carrying a lion cub.

Photo Credit: Kurt Safari

Photo Credit: Kurt Safari

The young male baboon crossed the road and climbed a marula tree, all while carrying the lion cub.

Photo Credit: Kurt Safari

Photo Credit: Kurt Safari

As the rest of the baboons settled down in the presence of the lion cub, the kidnapper started “grooming and caring” for the young lion “as if this was a young baboon.”

According to Schultz, there were no visible signs of the cub being injured, but it looked exhausted.

He said that the encounter had unusual circumstances: “I have witnessed baboons viciously killing leopard cubs and have heard of baboons killing lion cubs but have never seen the care and attention given to a lion cub in this manner.”

Photo Credit: Kurt Safari

Photo Credit: Kurt Safari

“Male baboons do a lot of grooming but the care given to this lion cub was the same care given by a female baboon to one of her own young,” he continued.

However, Schultz expressed his concerns for the cub, saying, “I don’t see a chance of this poor cub surviving. The troop of baboons was large and a lion would not be able to get the young back. Nature is cruel and survival of young predator cubs is not easy.”

But he explained that he could not intervene: “Nature has its own ways. We cannot get involved.”

If you’ve seen Disney’s The Lion King, the incident might seem familiar and reminiscent of the characters Rafiki and Simba.

But as the weekend passed, updates on the situation reflected a more accurate relationship between the species, just as Schultz predicted. According to Latest Sightings, an app that enables visitors to document their park experience, the cub did not survive the ordeal.

While the involvement of a lion cub is unusual, the act of kidnapping itself is a common behavior among monkeys in general.

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“Adolescent and adult males kidnap baboon infants (as buffers against aggression in olive baboons) and baboon juveniles (as a new member of a male’s harem in hamadryas baboons),” Shirley Strum, Professor of Anthropology at the University of California at San Diego, explained in Psychology Today in 2015.

 

Source: Newsweek

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Science

Pregnant Teen Says She’s Carrying Evil Spirit’s Baby

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In a Nutshell:

  • A 19-year-old Colombian woman, claiming to have never been with a man, asserts she was impregnated by an ‘evil spirit’, sparking a spirited debate on social media.
  • Following strange dreams and a sense of supernatural presences, along with her missing periods, a visit to the gynecologist confirmed her pregnancy.
  • Despite some skepticism and accusations of her fabricating the story, there are also supporters who believe her claims, citing they’ve heard similar stories before.

When it comes to tales of the unexpected, this one is surely one for the books.

A 19-year-old woman from Colombia, who says she has never been romantically involved with a man, now insists that her current pregnancy is the work of an ‘evil spirit.’

A supernatural Casanova, if you will.

The Colombian teen has been stirring up all kinds of chatter on Latino social media after she boldly told TV Malambo, a local media outlet, that she’s convinced her pregnancy is a supernatural event.

According to her, she began having strange dreams and experienced eerie presences in her room.

Then suddenly, she stopped having her period, leading her mother to rush her to a gynecologist, who declared her pregnant.

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She made the claim inn a statement that almost reads like a novel.

“I have not been with any man, suddenly I stopped menstruating and my mother took me to the health center for a check-up and there I found out that I got pregnant.”

The young woman accepts that her story is difficult to swallow and confesses that she herself is puzzled about her mysterious pregnancy.

However, this hasn’t stopped the internet from erupting into a spirited (pun intended) debate.

Some skeptics suggest she concocted the story to dodge parental wrath, while others back her claim, swearing they’ve heard of similar instances.

One supporter commented, “She is telling the truth, I have heard of other cases like this. The last thing her father or mother should do is kick her out of the family home.”

It should be noted that in Colombia, teen pregnancies are more common than in most countries worldwide.

But this is definitely not your average teen pregnancy story.

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In fact, it’s worth noting that this isn’t the first ‘supernaturally-induced’ pregnancy we’ve heard about.

Just last year, an Indonesian woman claimed she got pregnant after a gust of wind swept through her.

With stories like these, who needs Netflix for entertainment?


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The ‘Amazon Jungle Book’: 4 Kids Survive 40-Day Ordeal After Plane Crash [Video]

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In a Nutshell:

  • Four indigenous children, ranging in age from 11 months to 13 years old, were found in the Amazon jungle 40 days after the crash of their small plane.
  • Their survival is hailed as a miracle, and it’s noted that they must have survived on available resources in the jungle.
  • Search efforts involved tracking dogs, the military, and indigenous communities, with footprints believed to belong to one of the children aiding the successful rescue mission.

In a real-life saga that puts any Hollywood survival drama to shame, four indigenous kids, including a baby, made it through a whopping 40 days in the Amazon jungle after their plane crashed.

These extraordinary children, members of the Uitoto Indigenous community and aged from 11 months to 13 years, went from “missing presumed gnawed” to “survivors extraordinaire” in a twist that had Colombian President, Gustavo Petro, lauding them as national heroes.

“They themselves are an example of survival that will go down in history,” Petro declared at a news conference.

“Today, those children are the children of peace and the children of Colombia.”

Their health remains a mystery, with doctors yet to make that call.

“Their health must be frail,” speculated Petro, making us all picture these tykes going full ‘Bear Grylls’ to survive.

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Petro also said, “We need to see into their mental health.”

The children, identified as Lesly, Soleiny, Tien, and baby Cristin, survived when their plane, in an unfortunate game of ‘nose goes,’ buried its snout in the Colombian jungle after an engine failure.

While the wreckage was discovered two weeks later with three unfortunate adult casualties, the quartet was nowhere to be found.

In a plot twist that would have hardened detectives smiling, footprints believed to belong to one of the kids sparked hope they were still alive.

The search continued with tracking dogs, armed forces, and local Indigenous communities, proving once and for all that you should never bet against local knowledge when it comes to jungles.

President Petro took time to credit both the military and the indigenous communities.

“The work between armed forces and Indigenous communities — who obviously know the jungle better than we do — that work was successful,” he said.

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It was a show of unity that makes the phrase “It takes a village” seem a bit inadequate.

In the end, it was the indigenous communities and military who found the kids, marking a happy ending to a tale that will no doubt be remembered as the ‘Miracle of the Amazon.’

Hollywood, are you listening?


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Science

Don’t Try This at Home: YouTuber’s Deadly Jellyfish Soup Stirs the Pot [Video]

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In a Nutshell:

  • Popular Japanese YouTuber ‘homosapi’ stirred up a controversy by cooking and eating a broth made from Portuguese Man-o-Wars, a marine organism known for its deadly sting, in a video for his over one million subscribers.
  • While the YouTuber reported no ill effects and described the taste as similar to scallops, marine experts strongly cautioned against trying to recreate the risky recipe, due to the potential for remaining toxicity and risk of inhaling poisonous fumes during cooking.
  • Despite having a health professional present during the stunt, homosapi’s video has sparked a debate about responsible content creation, and experts are urging the public to avoid attempting to cook or consume dangerous marine creatures like the Man-o-War.

In what might be the next “do not try this at home” viral sensation, popular Japanese YouTuber ‘homosapi’ has stirred the pot, quite literally, with a marine menace: the Portuguese Man-o-War.

To his over one million subscribers, he served up a video of himself cooking and slurping a broth made from these dangerous dwellers of the deep.

Known for their venomous sting capable of immobilizing or even killing its prey, the Portuguese Man-o-War is not your usual soup du jour.

However, homosapi was not deterred, having been inspired by adventurous eaters who allegedly claimed the venomous creature’s broth was as delectable as the finest delicacy.

Seeking not only the thrill of the culinary dare but also the promise of viral views, homosapi and his friends embarked on a beach trip, hunting for washed-up Man-o-Wars.

Once they’d bagged their jelly-like prizes, the YouTuber proceeded to cook them into a wobbly blob.

He added veggies, sauces, and a suspect pinch of MSG before diving in with a daring taste test.

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His verdict?

It’s somewhat scallop-esque, with no apparent ill effects.

While the YouTuber may have taken the phrase “anything for views” quite literally, marine life experts were quick to condemn the stunt.

Warning the public against recreating this risky recipe, they emphasized that while a boiled Man-o-War might lose some of its toxicity, there’s no guarantee that the potent, protein-based poison is completely neutralized.

Shuhei Ikeda, a jellyfish breeder at the Kamo Aquarium, also highlighted the danger of inhaling toxic fumes during the cooking process, which could result in serious allergies and breathing issues.

In an attempt to counterbalance the wild stunt, homosapi revealed that a health professional was on hand throughout the precarious cooking show.

Nonetheless, the video continues to raise eyebrows and spark debates about responsible content creation.

So, folks, let’s stick to more traditional soup ingredients, shall we?

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Leave the Man-o-Wars to the marine experts, not the daredevil YouTubers.


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