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You are here: Home / Animals / Do Female Lions Adopt Cubs from Any Other Lionesses and Other Prides?

Do Female Lions Adopt Cubs from Any Other Lionesses and Other Prides?

June 20, 2020 by Karen Hill

Lion cubs belong to the pride, and they’re well taken care of and protected.

lion cub

Cubs can go to any nursing lioness within the pride and be assured of milk. The bad news is that adult males outside the pride are not so kind.

When a new male or coalition takes over a pride, their first order of business is to kill all the young cubs.

Although it seems cruel, their grip on power is so short that if they don’t, they may not have a chance to reproduce before they themselves are dethroned.

Some mothers try to defend their cubs, a few successfully, some suffering great injury or death as a result.

On the other hand, lion moms aren’t completely angelic or self-sacrificing. All go into heat again within a few weeks of their cub’s death, with most becoming pregnant again within four to five months.

And if there’s a shortage of food, mother lions don’t go hungry, they eat first, and if there’s not enough food for their offspring, they abandon them to be killed by predators or starve.

Related Facts

  • How Do Lions Reproduce and How Often Do Lions Mate?
  • How is the Population and Social Structure of a Lion Pride Organized and Does it Ever Change?
  • Why do Lions Lay Around All Day Resting and What Do Lions Eat in the Wild?
  • Why Do Male Lions have Manes but Not Females and What is a Lion’s Mane Used For?
  • What Is Food Irradiation and Is Food Irradiation Safe?
  • How Long have People Been Training Lions and How Dangerous is the Profession?

Filed Under: Animals

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How Do Lions Reproduce and How Often Do Lions Mate?
Next Post: How is the Population and Social Structure of a Lion Pride Organized and Does it Ever Change? »

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