Dedicated Mothers in the wild

So while Mother’s Day doesn’t strictly-speaking extend into the animal kingdom it’s definitely worth sparing a thought for the incredible animal mothers and all the challenges they face when bringing up their young.

So to celebrate them, here is a selection of wonderful photos of various mothers with their babies, taken by several of our Somak Driver Guides.

We will start with a photo of a mother elephant with her baby, called a calf. Did you know that when a baby elephant is born, it can weigh around 91 kg and stand about 3 feet tall?

Mother Elephant and baby elephant

This Giraffe with her calf is rather adorable. Did you know that female giraffes give birth standing up? The calf can stand within half an hour of being born and run with their mothers just ten hours after birth!

Giraffes

Did you know that lion cubs are born with tawny black spots which disappear over time? When they are first born, cubs are kept away from the main pride for around 2 months, before being introduced to them. The lioness plays the biggest role in their upbringing, with the lion doing very little other than protecting the cubs from danger. It is actually the lioness that teaches the lion cubs all the essential hunting skills.

Lioness and her cub

Cheetah cubs

Baby cheetahs cubs are usually born in litters that range between three to five cubs. At birth they are blind and covered with a thick coat of fur, called a mantle, which helps to protect them from predators. It looks rather like a mohawk haircut!

Finally, saving my favourite for last, we have this cheeky rhino calf, who, at birth, is rather large, at 88 to 140 lbs – quite a handful! Rhino cubs stay with their mothers until they are three years old. They then begin to fend for themselves.

Rhinos

If seeing these photos of all the animals has inspired you to want to go on safari, we have some amazing itineraries available.

We would love to work with you to plan the safari holiday of a lifetime. For more information on how our safari experts can help you, call Somak Holidays today on 020 8423 3000, or visit our website here:

https://www.somak.com/kenya-safari