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Playful Predator: Lion’s Gentle Jest to Deer, Promising Safe Return to Its Family After a Lighthearted Encounter in the Wild

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You might be forgiven for thinking this lioness is just playing with her food.

But these remarkable photographs capture the powerful beast caring for a young springbok as if it were her own offspring.

The fascinating set of images show a grieving lioness apparently adopting the baby springbok as if it were one of her very own cubs

The fascinating set of images show a grieving lioness apparently adopting the baby springbok as if it were one of her very own cubs

The shots show the lioness holding the young springbok back from running away, cleaning it, pushing it around playfully - while refusing to allow other members of her hungry pride anywhere near it, after her own cubs were killed by a rival male lion

The shots show the lioness holding the young springbok back from running away, cleaning it, pushing it around playfully – while refusing to allow other members of her hungry pride anywhere near it, after her own cubs were killed by a rival male lion

Photographer Gordon Donovan, from New York, claims that the bizarre scene played out for more than two hours when he visited the pride in Namibia's Etosha National Park

Photographer Gordon Donovan, from New York, claims that the bizarre scene played out for more than two hours when he visited the pride in Namibia’s Etosha National Park

Gordon, 53, was informed by a guide that the lioness was part of a pride that had been overtaken by a new male, and, in doing so, the dominant male had killed the lioness' male cubs

Gordon, 53, was informed by a guide that the lioness was part of a pride that had been overtaken by a new male, and, in doing so, the dominant male had killed the lioness’ male cubs

Although the antelope species are her natural prey, the lioness protected the bok from a pair of pregnant lions who approached in search of food

Although the antelope species are her natural prey, the lioness protected the bok from a pair of pregnant lions who approached in search of food

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