By Carlos Lopes Pereira, Gorongosa National Park veterinarian and Director of Conservation Services
Two years ago I had to immobilize, simultaneously, two lions (the Two Inseparable Brothers) to remove a snare from one and amputate what was left of the right paw of the other – the toes having been mangled by a gin trap (a savage device poachers use to trap animals). Since then there have been sightings of the Brothers between Roads 4 and 6 of the road network near Chitengo Camp, indicating that sometimes these brothers move many kilometers in one night.
On May 27, 2007, we spotted them near Road 4. Our mission for the day was to observe closely the ´amputated´ lion, his ability to handle food, and his relationship with his brother. To do that, we brought for them a succulent warthog (immobilized with a special substance that does not affect the lions) which was nearby and, after some interesting maneuvers, we released the warthog “lunch” some 14 meters from the Brothers. The healthy lion took care of the warthog and moved away with it to a nearby bush. Soon we heard him calling the brother (a low quiet growl meaning, “please come to eat”).
We observed them eating for one and a half hours. Although the Brothers had, from time to time, a sort of discussion about the food, we could see that they shared the food and that the disabled lion was using his right front leg and what was left of his left paw to secure the carcass of the warthog.
When we saw that there were only small remains of the carcass, we disturbed the lunch with a sling shot into a nearby palm tree, expecting that the brothers would momentarily release the carcass and that the healthy one would grab it again. Surprisingly, after the disturbance, the disabled lion was the one who took the rest of the meal. The healthy one stood apart, observing, but not interfering.
I am studying if something else can be done to reduce or remove the hyperflexion (bending of the paw towards the inside of the leg) in the paw to improve the life of this lion. This hyperflexion that makes him limp and unable to use the paw is the result of severed tendons caused by the gin trap; hyperflexion has also been observed in big cats that have been de-clawed for whatever reason.
We are happy to say that, despite of his injury, the ´amputated´ lion is able to manage what his brother hunts and shares with him. We look forward to more sightings of these Two Inseparable Brothers.