Photo Credit: Chris Mwaniki for Ol Pejeta via Facebook

When a young male reaches adolescence, he will typically split from his birth pride and venture off to conquer his own territory and start his own family, according to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. But such was the bond between this trio of lion brothers, Sirwa, Sayid and Shona, that they have remained a unit, and now lead their pride of 24 lions together.

Shona, Sayid and Sirwa are said to have a remarkable brotherhood coalition, peacefully sharing equal dominance, mating rights and pride protection duties, which is very rare in lion prides, says the conservancy, but, the results, they note, speak for themselves. The Eastern Sector Pride has the highest cub survival rates, and the lowest mortality rates, in the entire conservancy.

The lions might even be what you’d call “Superdads.” While lions are notorious for being aggressive and impatient with cubs,” Ol Pejeta said that its field technician, Chris, has reported that the three brothers are extremely gentle with their offspring and has never seen them lash out at the cubs.

Ol Pejeta also notes on its website: “These extraordinary brothers continue to captivate and amaze us. Protecting and nurturing a pride of 24 is a notable achievement, and a positive sign that Ol Pejeta’s conservation efforts are favorable to lions. These big cats face large scale population declines all over Africa, as their habitat shrinks, and they continue to be persecuted by farmers protecting their livestock.”

Sayid, pictured above, seems to be the major defender, helping to protect his pride from intruders with his two brothers  – with the scars to prove it.

Shona and Sirwa, are pictured below, along with lionesses Sior, Sekela and Pash.

Photo Credit: Chris Mwaniki for Ol Pejeta via Facebook