Lioness Momma Adopts Sick Baby Leopard And Raises As Her Own

Lions and leopards at the Gir National Park don’t usually get on. “They compete with each other” for space and food, said Stotra Chakrabarti, a researcher who studies animal behaviour. “They are at perpetual odds.” And until recently, this statement wouldn’t have been questioned. But one particular lion, against all odds, broke the barrier when she adopted a baby leopard.

The lioness' two cubs were fond of their small new sibling and were seen playing with the spotty cub and occasionally following him up trees. Speaking of the heartwarming scenes, Chakrabarti said: It looked like two big cubs and one tiny runt of the litter. The postdoctoral researcher, who has been studying the park's lions for nearly seven years, said the adoption was 'was surely the most 'wow' moment' he'd witnessed.