A three-legged lion and his brother braved crocodile-infested waters to make what is thought to be the longest ever swim made by an animal.
Ten-year-old Jacob and brother Tibu swam 1.5km across Uganda's Kazinga Channel, home to a dense population of crocodiles and hippos within Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Jacob, who had his leg amputated after getting caught in a poacher's trap four years ago, is thought to have been looking for a mate when he embarked on the swim.
Lions are not natural swimmers and have only previously been known to swim 200m.
Jacob and Tibu were filmed trying to shake a crocodile and hippo from their trail before eventually setting off across the Channel.
Dr Alexander Braczkowski, from Australia’s Griffith University, led a team that filmed a two-male lion coalition crossing the Kazinga Channel in Uganda at night
“It's likely the brothers were looking for females,” he said.
He said that they had tried to cross the channel after losing the affection of potential mates - with competition being fierce among male lions.
Dr Braczkowski said the brothers have lost most of their family due to poaching. He explained: “The fact that he and his brother Tibu have managed to survive as long as they have in a national park that has experienced significant human pressures and high poaching rates is a feat in itself – our science has shown this population has nearly halved in just five years.
“His swim, across a channel filled with high densities of hippos and crocodiles, is a record-breaker and is a truly amazing show of resilience in the face of such risk.”
He added: “Jacob has had the most incredible journey and really is a cat with nine lives.”
