49.7

The cub could not have been 6 weeks old. At that age the mother lioness looks after the litter on her own without the help of the rest of the pride. The cubs are particularly vulnerable at this age, not just from other predators like leopards and hyenas, but also from male lions from other prides. The only chance the mother lioness has is to hide them where they cannot be seen till they are old enough to join the pride. This mother obviously felt her hiding place was not safe enough and was in the process of transporting her cubs to some place safer. We got there at 4 in the afternoon. We heard from others who were watching that she had been at it since 8 in the morning and that this was the fourth cub she was transporting over the 5 mile walk to her new hiding place.