IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group Library

IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library

View printer friendly
Balme, G.; Hunter, L.; de Woronin Britz, N.
A case of offspring adoption in leopards, _Panthera pardus_
2012 South African Journal of Wildlife Research (42): 63-66
We document the first reported instance of offspring adoption in a wild leopard (_Panthera pardus_) population and discuss the potential fitness benefits accrued by the biological and foster mothers. A 15-year-old female leopard adopted the 7-month-old male cub of her 9-year-old daughter and successfully raised him to independence. The behaviour was presumably motivated by kin selection as no reciprocal support was gained by the adoptive mother, she did not benefit from additional parental experience, and it was unlikely to be a case of reproductive error.
	PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here