The baboon tries to suckle on the lioness[CATERS]They show a baby baboon cuddling up to a lioness, just minutes after the predator killed his mother – before his father swooped in to stage a daring rescue.
Not only was the baboon spotted sat between her paws and nuzzling into the lioness but she even allowed him to try to suckle.
The fearsome beast was also seen carefully carrying the tiny creature around in her mouth at the Selinda camp in Botswana.
The little baboon came to the attention of the lioness when he emerged from beneath his mother's corpse.
He frantically tried to climb a nearby tree but she batted him back down every time he attempted to clamber up.
She then gingerly picked up the baby in her jaws before setting him down and allowing him to snuggle up against her.
The moment was so amazing that even veteran tour guide Isaac Seredile admitted he had never seen such behaviour in 18 years of leading safari tours.
The fascinating scene was captured by golf course photographer, Evan Schiller, 53, and his wife Liza Holzworth, 51.
The predator kills the baboon's mother and the baby can be seen clinging on [CATERS]
The lioness and the baboon play cat and mouse as it tries to escape [CATERS]What happened next blew our minds, the baby, in another instinctual moment, held onto the lioness' chest and tried to suckl
Mrs Holzworth said: "As soon as the lionesses noticed the escapees, a chase pursued and we followed close behind, two of the three baboons found the nearby treetops, but the third was grabbed as she tried scaling the tree.
"As the third baboon lay dying on the ground, we noticed a little baby, who less than a month old, slowly disengaged from its mother's dying body.
"Despite its young age, I was amazed to see how instinct so quickly kicked in that it immediately tried to find safety in a tree but whilst its instinct was good, it hadn't yet mastered speed or agility and it was at this point the lionesses noticed the little one.
"They were intrigued, but did not go for the "kill" which would have taken less than a nano-second if they had been so inclined.
"The baby and one of the lionesses engaged in the African version of a big cat and mouse game, it was jumping up and down, screaming and hitting the lioness on her nose.
"The lioness continued to gently knock the baby off the base of the tree each time it seemed to make a little bit of progress in its vertical attempt at escape.
She described the bizarre moment when, instead of killing the little primate, she seemed to begin to mother it.
She said: "Unbelievably, the lioness then carried the baby in its mouth and at that moment she could have swallowed it whole without a blink of an eye.
"What happened next blew our minds, the baby, in another instinctual moment, held onto the lioness' chest and tried to suckle."
The tiny primate could be seen snuggling up to the fearsome beast [CATERS]
The devoted baboon father stages a daring rescue [CATERS]But the baboon did not spend long with the lioness, as his devoted father managed to pluck him from the scene as the lioness was distracted by the advances of two lions.
"All the while, the baboon leader and baby's father was climbing up and down his tree, calling loudly and making whatever noise he could to distract the lionesses.
"Just when we thought the baby's odds were dwindling, the lioness turned her attention to the latest players in the cast, two male lions, each about five years old, that were fast approaching.
"With the lionesses busy trying to ward off the amorous advances of the brothers, the big male Baboon, who had been trying to no avail to rescue the baby, was now able to climb down the tree, grab the baby and then head back up to safety.
"He was alive and safe in his father's arms when we left and that's how I like to remember it, no matter what, he remains an inspiration and a reminder that life is fragile."
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