Sometimes, the maternal instinct is too strong to ignore. It can be even stronger than the predatory instinct or the growls of an empty stomach.
In this video, a lioness in the wild walks with a baby wildebeest, which should, by all accounts, be the dinner she brings home to the pride. However, she isn’t thinking about the taste of this baby.
The lionesses are the hunters of the pride since their bodies are more flexible and slender than their male counterparts. Though they are skilled predators, lionesses rarely enter into combat as that role is left to the lions.
Typically wildebeests are at the top of the list of preferred meals for lions. When a lioness kills a wildebeest, she offers the meat to the dominant males of the pride first to follow their natural social hierarchy.
However, there are many accounts of lionesses choosing not to harm wildebeest calves. Something about the vulnerability of a young calf must touch the lionesses motherly heart.
Instead of killing this calf, the lioness in the video protects it and keeps the baby close by. The two animals walk together, and somehow the wildebeest knows it can trust the lioness.
This video shows one of the many examples of odd friendships and pairings that Mother Nature has to offer. Seeing moments like this lioness choosing to help the wildebeest calf that could’ve been her dinner shows that the power of motherhood is stronger than any other instinct.
