Imagine swimming at night in a river filled with crocodiles and hippos. Sounds terrifying, right? Well, two lions in Uganda did just that earlier this year, and for the first time, Scientists captured this daring act on film. Click here to watch the footage.

Using a drone-mounted, high-resolution thermal imaging camera, Researchers from Griffith University’s Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, guided by Dr. Alexander Bratskovsky, captured the scene of two lions crossing Uganda’s Kazinga Channel in the middle of the night.

A remarkable lion named Jacob, who has faced numerous challenges, including losing his leg in a poaching incident, was one of the lions in the video captured by the researchers. Jacob was described as “the most tenacious lion in Africa.”

Despite the risks of encountering crocodiles and hippos, Jacob and his brother Tib swam over a kilometer, displaying incredible resilience. The motivation behind this risky journey was likely the pursuit of finding a mate in the female-dominated system of Queen Elizabeth National Park.

While the river had a bridge connecting the two sides, the lions chose to swim due to human presence and past negative encounters. Understanding the behaviors of lions in such environments is crucial for their conservation.

About our experts

Alexander Bratskovsky is leading long-term research on African lions and other predators in Uganda’s national parks. Learn more about his work here. The study on Jacob and Tib’s swim, titled “Long-distance swims by African lions in Uganda,” was published in Ecology and Evolution.

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