Jacob, a 10-year-old amputee lion from Uganda, broke the record by swimming an estimated 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) across a predator-infested waterway at night with his brother, CBS News reported Wednesday.
Before his record-breaking swim, Jacob had been gored by a buffalo, his family had been poisoned and an African lion had lost three legs in a poaching attempt, but he had survived, said Alexander Buratzkowski, a research associate at Griffith University's Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security. report.
The lions' swimming was observed and recorded. study The study, reportedly led by researchers from Griffith University in Australia and Northern Arizona University, was published in the journal Ecology & Evolution. (Related article: Report: 13-year-old boy paralyzed after escaping hornet in swimming pool)
A mutilated lion who escaped a poaching attempt and was gored by horns has completed a record-breaking swim with his brother through predator-infested waters. https://t.co/2GFbaVOGQy
—CBS News (@CBSNews) July 10, 2024
The waterway the lions crossed is “home to the world's largest population of hippos and numerous crocodiles.” according to They head to Uganda's Queen Elizabeth National Park, where most lions who attempt the journey give up after swimming 10 to 100 meters, and some are killed by crocodiles, CBS News reported.
Bratskovskis said the two brave lions likely chose to swim across in search of a female. “There is fierce competition for lionesses in the park and they had lost a battle for her affections in the hours prior to the swim,” Bratskovskis was quoted as saying.[I]They had probably embarked on a dangerous journey to meet the female on the other side of the strait.”
According to the media, Blaczkowski called Jacob “a cat with nine lives” and said he would “bet all my money to see the toughest lion in Africa.”
“His successful swim across a waterway crowded with hippos and crocodiles is a record-breaking feat and an example of incredible resilience in the face of such danger,” researchers said, CBS News reported.
Braczkowski led an extensive study of African lions and other animals living in Uganda's national parks, and his team monitored the lions' faithful swims with high-resolution thermal cameras via drone, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. report.
