It’s undoubtedly a heartwarming feeling to see videos of dogs taking care of their canine companions. How much more if you see a dog being a mother to a baby lion? In a video shared by BBC News, you’ll see a Labrador Retriever nursing a weeks-old cub.
The baby Lion was born in Sri Lanka, and sadly, the cub’s mother rejected him. The zookeepers thought that the baby Lion would grow in an environment surrounded by love and care, but since his mom abandoned him, they came up with an idea to associate him to a mother dog instead.
Zookeepers know that one of the dog’s characteristics is they show so much love and concern for their puppies, especially when a mother nurses her newborn puppies. Dogs love their pups so much that apart from cuddling and feeding them regularly, they’ll guard their babies with their life.
The dog wasn’t instantly attached to the cub, according to Heshan Mendis, the Labrador’s owner. She shared that her dog didn’t show interest at the baby lion at the beginning. However, it did not take long as the dog eventually gave her maternal love towards the cub.
Heshan further said that it only took five or six hours, and then the dog changed her behavior towards the cub. She started licking him, and she gives the baby Lion love and affection, just like how she is with her puppies. She started treating the cub like her own, and if you don’t know the story, you would think that she’s the birth mother.
This incredible dog-cub moment amazed a lot of viewers as they’ve seen a perfect example of a mother’s love for a child. Also, the dog’s puppies were affectionate towards the cub.
Dogs are genuinely non-judgmental animals. This remarkable story of a Labrador nursing a cub is a confirmation that dogs are born to nurture and love — whether humans or other animals.
Source: BBC News