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Gir lionesses practise strategic promiscuity to save cubs
DEHRADUN: Promiscuity helps the Indian lioness protect her cubs from adult males that instinctively kill the offspring of rivals, a three-year study in Gir national
DEHRADUN: Promiscuity helps the Indian lioness protect her cubs from adult males that instinctively kill the offspring of rivals, a three-year study in Gir national park revealed this exceptional Asiatic lion trait.
The behaviour, common among tigresses and many top predators in the wild, is not seen among African lions that live in a tight-knit pride comprising one, sometimes two, alpha males and about half-a-dozen females who are mothers, daughters and granddaughters.
Infanticide is widespread when a challenger takes over the dominant position in the pride from an alpha male who monopolises reproduction until he is ousted, normally because of old age or injury.
But wild Asiatic lions, found only in Gir now, have adopted a different pride structure and strategy to protect their young, scientists at the Wildlife Institute of India (WWI) found.
“Promiscuity in lions was never known,” said Satotra Chakrabarti, a scientist at the Dehradun-based WWI. “African female lions do not show this tendency. Our study brought up this interesting fact that Asiatic lions are promiscuous. They do so to confuse paternity and protect their cubs from infanticide.”
This is possible because Asiatic lionesses are in charge of prides, unlike in Africa. Males own territories, which overlap several prides.
The first research on social and behavioural patterns of Gir lions showed females often mated with as many males crossing their prides as possible, thereby making it hard to discern infant paternity. Such strategic promiscuity ensures males stop killing cubs if there is a risk that the offspring might be their own.
This is necessary because Asiatic males exhibit intense hierarchies, with an alpha being the boss in mating and feeding, Chakrabarti said.
Scientists, who conducted the study at Gir for three years since 2013, concluded that promiscuity is an adaptation these descendents of African lions, who migrated to Asia thousands of years ago, have deployed to good effect.
