That Maternal Instinct!
This is an oldie but I'm running it again because I like it.
From an email:
Tiger Mommy
In a zoo in California , a mother tiger gave birth to a rare set of triplet tiger cubs. Unfortunately, due to complications in the pregnancy, the cubs were born prematurely and due to their tiny size, they died shortly after birth.
The mother tiger after recovering from the delivery, suddenly started to decline in health, although physically she was fine. The veterinarians felt that the loss of her litter had caused the tigress to fall into a depression.
The doctors decided that if the tigress could surrogate another mother's cubs, perhaps she would improve. After checking with many other zoos across the country, the depressing news was that there were no tiger cubs of the right age to introduce to the mourning mother.
The veter inarians decided to try something that had never been tried in a zoo environment. Sometimes a mother of one species will take on the care of a different species. The only orphans" that could be found quickly, were a litter of weaner pigs. The zoo keepers and vets wrapped the piglets in tiger skin and placed the babies around the mother tiger.
Would they become cubs or pork chops????????????? Take a look........ you won't believe your eyes!!!!
COMMENTS:
posted by Anonymous @ 3/19/2009 11:28:00 PM
Ya, but the thought of a pussy that goes "Oink, Oink"........
:)
My Uncle had a cow who lost her calf. She was spotted three days later nursing an orphan fawn.
Monday, March 23, 2009 5:30:00 AM
It is amazing how many times that happens in nature. WA told me about a documentary where a mama lion or some big cat was spotted by Rangers mothering baby gazelles. She couldn't nurse them and the baby would die. Later, on different occasions they'd see her with another baby of that type. Once a male cat killed and ate the baby she had. She was determined to mother those orphan babies.
We don't expect that of animals but human women adopt other babies all the time. Other human babies or they'll take a baby animal as their "baby" and love it like it was human. The maternal instinct is wierd. Then some females seem to have none at all.
Monday, March 23, 2009 4:36:00 PM