By NATION Correspondent

The lioness that adopted a baby oryx has done it again . . . on Valentine's Day.

Less than a month after the love that astonished the world ended when a lion from another pride killed the calf, the lioness has adopted another new-born Beisa oryx at Samburu national park.

But this time, to make sure the law of the jungle does not reign supreme again, game wardens have mounted a round the clock watch over the odd couple.

"We do not want anything to happen to the calf," Mr Simon Leirana, chief warden at the Samburu reserve told the Nation.

All wardens now have orders to keep away other lionesses in the pride - and particularly the lion that made a meal of the first oryx baby.

"We cannot attempt to feed the calf since the lioness is keeping a very close watch," Mr Leirana said. By yesterday, the wardens had established where the mother oryx was - two kilometres from the site and afraid to go any closer because of the pride of lions that has made the area their home.

Unless the baby is fed within the next two days, it is likely to die from hunger. The lioness too has given up hunting since adopting the oryx, 24 hours ago.

Guests from the Samburu Serena game lodge within the park have been streaming to the site after news of the bizarre new adoption leaked out. "It is fitting that it happened on Valentine's Day," said Mr Herman Mwasaghu, Serena lodge manager.

Mr Leirana, who made hourly checks on the calf and its new mother, said the first 72 hours of the calf's life were crucial. "Unless we feed it or entice the mother to come closer, the calf might die," he said. He was concerned that although they could feed the calf, it might then be rejected by the lioness. "It would take on the smell of humans and thereby interfere with the natural course of things," he said.

He said the calf was not as frisky as they usually are and attributed this to lack of food. "It is walking along with the lioness but this is likely to change as it gets weaker," he said.

Mr Leirana said the lioness had been following herds of oryx since its first adopted calf was killed by the lion. "But it never kills them. Instead, whenever it is hungry, it goes after antelopes and warthogs," Mr Leirana said. By late yesterday, the lioness and its new baby were resting in the shade of an acacia tree.