Why Do Lions Kill Their Cubs? 0 13

Male lions do not kill their cubs due to a lack of food. In a lion family, or pride, there is usually one male and several females with cubs of different ages.

When a new male takes over a pride, he kills the cubs that were born to his predecessor and are still nursing. He does not touch the other cubs.

This happens because females of most mammals cannot become pregnant while nursing their young. By killing the cubs, the male accelerates the process of conceiving his own offspring.

Surprisingly, mothers usually react to this indifferently, although in other situations they protect their young to the last.