This Lioness Loves to Play Fetch

When you're a lioness in a big cat sanctuary, it can be tough to get through the dog days of summer without becoming a little like a dog yourself. At least that's the case for Serabie, a lioness rescued from a caged hunting operation who now resides at Emoya, a big cat sanctuary in South Africa.

Serabie may get to enjoy lounging around, but it sometimes simply isn't enough entertainment for her. Luckily, her predator instincts kick in whenever someone throws a stick and — zoom! — off she goes after it, like an over-eager Labrador.

Serabie's the only one of her pride who seems to enjoy behaving like a dog. The two males in the pride, brothers Tau and Raka, seem somewhat flummoxed that Serabie would even chase after a stick — it's not food, after all — but Serabie isn't going to pass up these chances to keep her hunter instincts honed.

Indeed, Serabie's even more keen on the stick game than some dogs. When a stick lands in a tree, Serabie climbs the tree in an effort to retrieve it. Sure, maybe she decides to take a little cat nap in the branches, and when she does come down, it's without the stick, but the whole process demonstrates a level of dedication that few other animals can match.