Not always a human beings are legendary, but few wild animals are legendary because they not only make themselves survive but also they have given life to their spices.
5. Lady Liuwa, the legendary lioness of Liuwa
It captivated the world over with her story of survival as ‘The Last Lioness’ of Liuwa Plain in Zambia. It is with heavy hearts however that we received confirmation just yesterday that this truly remarkable lioness has died.
Lady Liuwa was an icon, and a symbol of hope and resilience. Due to years of poaching lions were completely eradicated from Liuwa Plain in the 1990’s, except for one lioness – Lady Liuwa. She roamed the plains for years as the sole survivor in the park searching for her pride, but with no lions to be found, she looked to humans for companionship, and it was there where she found her salvation. Her extraordinary story of survival, as well as how African Parks helped give her a pride of her own, became one of the most moving wildlife tales ever told and was memorialized in the documentary “The Last Lioness”. She was believed to be 17 years old, an extraordinary feat for a wild lion, and a testament to the protection we along with the DNPW, the BRE and the ZCP afforded her.
4. Adelita (turtle)
Adelita was the name of the first sea turtle which was tracked across an ocean basin of the northern Pacific Ocean. A satellite tag was placed on Adelita, a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta), in 1996 by Wallace “J” Nichols, as part of a research project. It opened many secrets of life of a turtle.
3. Kamunyak – A Divine lioness
2. Macchali – The Megastar Tigress of Ranthambore
Known by many names Machli, Tigress Queen of Ranthambore, Queen Mother, Lady of the Lakes and Crocodile Killer is still India’s most iconic Bengal tiger, Machli has passed away when She was 19 years old, and outlived other wild tigers who normally live to be 10-15 years old. She also birthed almost half of the tiger population in Ranthambore National Park (seven females, and four males), giving her the title “Queen Mother.”
She was the most widely photographed tigress in the world. “She would pose for the camera,” said professional wildlife traveler Anurag Sharma. “She made photographers out of ordinary people.” She was also featured in many nature documentaries and was honored with her own stamp and postal cover.
When ever she heard the sound of jeeps, she would stroll out of the forest towards them.
She was first discovered in 1997, and her name, meaning “fish,” came from the markings on her mother’s face. The name was usually passed on from mother to daughter.
Machli was first discovered in 1997. Her territory included many lakes and she could often be seen around them, earning her the title “Lady of the Lake.”
In June of 2003, a 14-foot-long crocodile encroached one of her lakes. Machli escorted her cubs to safety and went back to the lake to battle the croc. She won after a 90 minute battle and her earned herself the title of “Crocodile Killer.”
Machli was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” of Travel Operators For Tigers for her contribution to conservation and to tourism. She was reportedly responsible for generating $10 million per year.
1. Echo – A Pioneer Matriarch Mother Elephant
Echo, the remarkable matriarch of a family of elephants in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, was most studied elephant in the world, the subject of several books and documentaries, including two NATURE films. For nearly four decades, elephant expert Cynthia Moss, and award-winning filmmaker Martyn Colbeck were on hand to record the trials and triumphs of Echo and her family, documenting the intense loyalties and deep caring that are so fundamental to all elephants, creating a moving record of a life we all can share. was the subject of several books and films. She was the first subject of the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, the longest-running study of a land mammal. Echo died of natural causes at the age of 65 in May of 2009, leaving the family she had cared for and guided for so long to face the worst drought ever recorded in Amboseli on their own. It was a final test of the years of Echo’s leadership.
