It’s the most tender expression of motherly love.
A lion cub that has been adopted by a dog – who now breastfeeds it – after it was rejected by its mother
Officials at the Terfihiyye Zoo in Gaza City came up with the idea after contacting a Canadian vet online, who suggested dog’s milk was the closest to a lioness’s.
The lion cub in the zoo in Gaza City has been adopted by a dog that breasteeds it along with her puppies
The cub’s mother rejected her cub because of a psychological condition while she was in captivity
Officials at the zoo feared that if they didn’t find alternative breast milk, the cub would starve and die
The mother lion had three cubs, two of which died because the mother had rejected them.
It is thought the lioness rejected her cubs because of a psychological condition, caused by trauma she felt living a life in captivity.
Zoo manager Ibrahim Sbeeta said they feared the remaining baby lion would suffer the same fate and sought an expert opinion to try and save the cub.
‘It was difficult for the dog to feed the cub at the beginning,’ Sbeeta said in a report by Middle East Monitor.
After initial difficulties the cub started taking the dog’s milk, as she continued to feed her puppies
‘But after a while it became OK. When the dog finishes feeding its puppies, it feeds the cub immediately.’
He added it is the first time this method has been used in one of the country’s zoos.