Last year, we reported the story of the Inseparable Brothers of Gorongosa two lions who had been treated by our staff veterinarian and conservation director, Carlos Lopes Pereira, for injuries to their paws by the snares placed in the Park by illegal poachers. He had to amputate the toes of one of the brothers and treat the injured paw of the other, and has been following the recovery of these two lions ever since.
Recently, scouts patrolling the Park’s game drive network found these two lions and were able to observe them for some time. We are happy to report that they both are doing well. In fact, the lion whose toes were amputated seems to have recovered all of his capacities – he was observed mating with a female! His injured paw apparently did not at all impede his efforts. He has, indeed, recovered.
Carlos, who has spent many hours observing the two brothers, believes that the brother whose toes were amputated is the dominant brother, even after his injury. It would be easy to believe that an injury as serious as the one this lion received would have left him in a physically vulnerable position, opening the door for other males to displace him from his dominant status. The fact that he has retained his dominant status, at least in relation to his brother (and in his interactions with the lionesses), confirms that dominance in lions is a complicated subject involving much more than just physical strength!
