We’ve witnessed many examples of how cruel nature can actually be. But that’s the way it works. The only rule that matters in nature is haunt or be haunted. There’s no emotions involved, and the only thing that matters is survival.
That’s why we sometimes feel bad for the antelope who couldn’t escape from the hungry “evil” lions during a documentary on National Geography.
However, this is not as shocking as the fact that lionesses have the habit of killing a baby leopard in the wild, since they’re direct competition in the food chain.
The act of killing a cub is cruel indeed. But what you’re about to see is a rare exception, and it’s never been seen in the wild before.
This wild lioness in the Serengeti in Tanzania was found nursing a baby leopard. The five-year-old mother had three small cubs of her own to feed, and they were all around two to three weeks old.
“Lions are known to suckle each other’s cubs, however they are also known to kill adults and cubs of other big cat species,” Dr Durant said.
“It’s not something that I’m aware has ever happened before between large cats like this,” Dr Luke Hunter, President and Chief Conservation Officer for global cat conservation organisation Panthera said.
Safari Lodge manager Ainslie Wilson believes that the lioness mom could’ve lost her cubs. They were born around June 28, and the mother was found nursing her adopted baby around a kilometre away from her den.
“Up until that time her behaviour was indicating that she had cubs and the cubs had been seen in previous days”, Ainslie Wilson said.
“Since the incident she’s been ranging far and wide and hasn’t been staying near to the den area.”
Wild experts are familiar with seeing lionesses adopting other lion cubs, but this never happened before.
“We know there are cases where lionesses will adopt other lion cubs… But this is unprecedented.”
“I know of no other case – between any large cat, for that matter – where the species has adopted or nursed the cub of another species,” Dr Hunter said.
Lionesses are known as protective and formidable mums. Which means it is truly amazing to see such unusual behavior in the wild.
‘This incredible act of motherly love simply wouldn’t have happened if she wasn’t suckling her own babies’, he said.
‘It’s a unique thing, it will be fascinating to see how it unfolds’, said Dr Hunter.
