A lioness feeds a leopard baby ©Joop van der Linde
For the first time, a lioness was observed feeding a leopard baby in Tanzania.
Emotion sequence! This week, a lioness was seen in the Ngorongo Nature Reserve, Tanzania, breastfeeding a tiny leopard, only three weeks old! The precise reasons behind this astonishing encounter remain a mystery. Lioness Nosikitok, aged 5, gave birth to her own litter during the month of June and Luke Hunter, president of the big cat protection group, Panthera, explains that her recent maternity could push her to Take care of the leopard baby. "She's psychologically ready to take care of baby cats and this little leopard fits well - he's almost the same age as his own cubs and looks like them physically," he told the British newspaper "The Guardian."
A single case
However, the physiological explanations of this encounter make it no less surprising. "It is quite possible that she lost her own young and that she found a young leopard in a state of lack when she was particularly vulnerable," Luke Hunter continued, but not before he said, "She would not be breastfeeding if she was not already overwhelmed by her maternal instinct. Anyway, there has never been a case like this before, and how this happened is still a mystery. This is a truly unique case. "
Du jamais vu : Une lionne adopte et nourrit un bébé léopard ! - Elle
