Lioness adopts baby after killing mother

[Hum]

These touching photographs show a lioness adopting a helpless antelope calf - after she killed its mother.

The intimidating beast had just finished devouring a Ugandan Kob, and had the wounds to show for it, when its terrified child emerged.

Instead of making the defenceless infant her dessert, however, the merciful creature took pity on it and carried it away to safety.

The lioness first stares at the calf in shock, before roaring angrily at it to make it go away.

Finally, her maternal instincts take over, and after batting the quivering calf with a paw, she picks up the orphaned baby and carries it off like one of her own cubs.

Other tourists in the Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, later reported seeing the calf running around unharmed, so its luck clearly held out.

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[jnelsoninjax]

Wow! That is really interesting.

[Bryan R.]

I saw this on a nature show a few weeks ago. If this is the same story, the lion even adopts a second calf after something happens to the first. I don't remember if it ran away or just died. The lion is suspected to be fulfilling a maternal role but the calf was seen trying to escape a few times.

[Wyn6]

The lioness was just keeping it around until it got a bit more meat on the bones or in case of a bad week hunting.

[Farstrider]

The lioness was just keeping it around until it got a bit more meat on the bones or in case of a bad week hunting.

Yes I am afraid I've seen senarios like this quite a few times. It's just a matter of time before it gets killed, poor little thing! It won't necessarely be the lioness that does the killing but another lion or a big cub. If it survives, then that will be a real miracle.

[McKay]

Saving it for later.

[simplezz]

That's dessert :rofl:

[fintechfooty]

as soon as the camera guy leaves, lion goes beast mode :angry:

[n_K]

Not the same one from 10 years ago, I'm presuming ? http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1746828.stm

[+Warwagon MVC]

[Growled Member]

Even though I don't think this will last, it's amazing how strong the maternal instinct really is, so strong that it crosses species.

[Hum]

Not the same one from 10 years ago, I'm presuming ? http://news.bbc.co.u...ica/1746828.stm

Kenya and Uganda are probably two different countries -- or so they told me in Geography class. ;)

PUBLISHED: 04:45 EST, 8 October 2012 | UPDATED: 13:27 EST, 8 October 2012