'It's A Once-In-A-Lifetime Event': Wild Lioness Spotted Nursing A Baby Leopard

July 14, 2017

For the first time, a wild lioness has been photographed nursing a baby leopard.

lion nursing baby leopard
Photo credit: Joop Van Der Linde/Ndutu Lodge

Interspecies suckling has been documented among captive animals, but this sighting is pretty much mind-blowing to lion experts. Typically, a lioness would kill a baby leopard.

"It's unprecedented," Luke Hunter, president and chief conservation officer of the global wild cat organization Panthera, told The Washington Post. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime event."

lion nursing baby leopard
Photo credit: Joop Van Der Linde/Ndutu Lodge

The photos were taken Tuesday by a guest at the Ndutu Lodge, a conservation area in Tanzania.

lion nursing baby leopard
Photo credit: Joop Van Der Linde/Ndutu Lodge


feel good videoDogs Are Forced To Wear The Things They Steal — And It’s Hilarious

feel good storiesKids Are Loving The Tiny Duck Libraries Popping Up Around New York City

feel good storiesA Man Ruined A Beautiful Snowman Display — What Happened Next Was Perfect

feel good storiesJonathan And Nancy Fell In Love In Real Life — And So Did Their Stunt Doubles

feel good storiesCat Owner Begs Internet For Advice On How To Get Her Cat To Stop Playing Piano

feel good storiesWoman Inherits Her Father's Prosthetic Eyes — And Shares Their Remarkable Story

feel good videoDogs Are Forced To Wear The Things They Steal — And It’s Hilarious

feel good videoPig’s Friends Couldn’t Handle Seeing Him So Scared

feel good videoWatch This 4-Year-Old Girl Steal The Show At A Comedy Club

feel good videoTwo Humpback Whales Fall In Love With A Dog In Incredible Video

feel good video20 Years Later, Watch What Happens When This Couple’s Wedding Song Plays