Friday Night Soother: Cecil’s legacy
by digby
Meet Cecil’s grandcubs!
Cecil would have been a grandfather today.
A video posted on YouTube Wednesday appears to capture a troop of tiny cubs being led down a path by lionesses in Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park.In all, eight cubs are seen in various states of furry frolic — from tumbling in and out of the tall grasses to scampering after a protective mother.
While a free-ranging lion’s family tree is famously complicated, it’s likely these babies share a bloodline with the famed lion.
Wildlife photographer Graham Simmonds describes the encounter in Africa Geographic:
“Buli, our guide, informed us that the two lionesses had been seen mating with a male named Xanda some months back. Xanda is one of Cecil the lion’s sons that has recently come into his prime, and the cubs seen here are thought to be the ‘grandcubs’ of the legendary Cecil.”
