Untamed Affection: The Endearing Lion Pride Dynamics of Naramat and Nempiris

We have been seeing Naramat and Nempiris, the lionesses of the Lemuny pride, for seven years now, and never tire of watching them. The reason is the dynamics of the lion pride. The six older cubs are now about 22 months old. There is also a younger set that is about 2 and 3 months old, with Naramat’s cubs the younger of the two litters. Because these very young cubs are still vulnerable, Naramat and Nempiris have moved away from the older set so they don’t hurt their younger siblings in their playful boisterousness.

We have been seeing only five of the six older cubs though. While we feared the sixth might have been lost, we felt it was quite likely that she was with one of the lionesses acting as baby-sitter while they went out hunting. Today we caught up with Nempiris and her two, 3-month-old cubs and were relieved to find an older cub there as well. The older cub clearly wants to help her mother by looking after her younger siblings but occasionally you can also see a twinge of jealousy in her as she elbows out a young sibling in competition for her mother’s affections.