Moms are the best member of the family. Without mom, the house is incomplete, and will feel you incomplete. Our mom is our best protector and the one that guides us while daddy is out finding some resources.
It is the same with animals. Animal moms are the ones who protect their young, and they are with their young until they learn to walk and see. Male animals are the ones who provide food for their group, for example, lions.
The question here is why do animals protect their young? Is it instinctive? Or is it because animals have feelings, which is why they have compassion and love with their young? Let’s start with a concise answer!
Why do animals protect their young? The main reason why animals protect their young is that it’s instinctive. It is an animal instinct to protect their young while they are still vulnerable from various dangers. During this time, animal moms teach their young some skills for survival and hunting.
There are lots of things to learn about this topic. Let us dig deeper around this topic. I am also going to answer different questions that are related to our topic. Let’s go!
Reason Why Animals Protect Their Young
There are two things that people conclude to be the reason why animals protect their young. What are those two things? First is people think that it is instinctive, which is factual because scientists have proven that it is instinctive. Second is they think that animals have feelings, and they have compassion and love for their young.
However, between those two reasons, I certainly believe that it is instinctive. Animals protect their young because it is the instinct of every mom, including humans. When the baby animal is born, the mother’s breast is ready to produce some milk.
Baby animals only need their mom to survive in the wild. They need their mom for food, protection, and guidance. Animals protect their young from predators because, during this time, the young ones are vulnerable to various dangers.
Male animals or the leader of the group are the ones that are responsible for providing food for their whole group, including the animal moms and their young. They have no responsibility for taking care of the young ones because it is the mother’s responsibility, but males need to protect their group, including the young so that their group won’t get killed or hurt.
For example, lions. The female lion hides when she is ready to give birth. She will sneak away from her tribe to give birth. After giving birth, the female lion will stay with her cubs for three months to protect, feed, and teach their children some survival skills.
When the female lion is ready to show her cubs to the tribe, she will come back to the tribe with her cubs. The male lion will first smell the cubs to check if the cubs are his cubs. If not, the male lion will kill the cubs. Male lions are the ones who protect the tribe, and that is their main role in the tribe aside from reproducing.
Every mother is like this. Even the cheetahs, pumas, elephants, etc. They will all protect their young because it is their instincts. So in conclusion, the main reason animals protect their young is that it is their instinct to do so.
Some people say that mother animals also feel compassion and love with their young ones that is why they protect them. Well, yes. Animals have feelings, so they can also feel love, and they are capable of loving others.
Mother animals can also feel sadness when they see their young ones die in the hands of the predators. Elephants mourn for their dead like humans. So technically, love and compassion can also be one of the reasons why animals protect their young. This could be possible, but I believe more that it is instinctive.
How Do Animals Protect And Care For Their Young?
The reason why animals protect their young is because of instincts. Mother animals are programmed to protect their young and to attack threats if needed. All mother animals will protect their young. Also, mother animals protect their young because they also feel compassion and love for their young.
Now that we already know the reason why animals protect their young, what are the ways or how do animals protect and care for their young?
Animals protect their young from various predators and dangers that the wild may give. Mothers are always with their young since the birth of their young until their young grows and becomes capable of defending themselves.
If the mothers think that their children cannot save themselves or protect themselves from various predators, the mothers will never leave their children behind. Mother animals love their children as human mothers do. They will protect their young until their last breath.
Aside from protecting them, animal moms show their love to their young by providing food for them, giving them milk, and by grooming them. They care for their young. That is why they protect their young. Animal moms are strong enough to take down any threat to their young.
Animals groom their children often, especially when their young are still at the baby stage. They also teach their young how to walk and to hunt. Moms are the ones responsible for taking care of their young, while the fathers are responsible for providing food for all and protecting the group from attackers.
What Animals Are The Most Protective Of Their Child?
So now that we already know why animals protect their young and how they protect their young, let us talk about the best animal moms in the world! They are worth discussing because of how good mothers they are. Let’s check them out.
Elephants
The first best mom on our list is the elephants. Mommy elephants will produce large offspring that will come out from them after 22 months. Elephants deserve to be on the list of the best moms because of enduring a 22-month pregnancy. Also, elephant moms are very compassionate moms. They teach their young some basic survival skills.
Lions
Lions are included on our list because of how protective they are of their young. They protect their young until their last breath. Female lions are tasked to take care of their young and protect their young because one of her cubs will be the king of the pride someday.
When female lions sense that they are going to give birth, they flee away from their tribe. After they give birth, they will stay with their cubs for three months. When the cubs grow after three months, the mother lions will introduce her cubs to the pride.
Orangutans
Of course, the orangutans. They are included in the animals that are very protective of their child because of how strong the bond formed between the mother orangutan and her baby orangutan.
The orangutan moms will stay with their kids for six to seven years! During these years, the mother orangutan will teach her child how to hunt, survive, and find food. The male orangutans will leave their mother sooner than women.
Cheetahs
Cheetahs are the fastest animals in the world. They are the animals that run faster than humans and other animals. Aside from being fast, let’s talk about the patience of the mother cheetah.
A mother cheetah will usually have four to six cubs, and these cubs aren’t born with any survival instincts. The mother cheetah is the sole responsibility to teach her cubs how to fight, how to survive, and whom they should avoid.
After the cubs grow up and learn to protect themselves, the mother cheetah will move to another family to form a new cub. The mother’s offspring will be left behind because they already know how to survive alone. These past cubs will form a sibling group to protect themselves even without their mom.
Polar Bears
Polar bear males are like chick boys, and they love one-night stand. After mating, the male polar bears turn cold to the females, leaving the female polar bear they mate pregnant. Female polar bears will raise their child alone as single moms do.
After two years, the young polar bear will leave their mom to live on their own. Polar bear moms deserve to be on the list because of the sacrifice they make to let their children live even without a father.
Koalas
Koalas are marsupials, and they have a pouch. They use their pouch as a hiding place for their offsprings during the time they are still little and vulnerable. Koala joeys will stay with their mothers for a total of one year. Six months inside the pouch and six months outside the punch.
While the baby koala is still dependent on her mom, he/she will eat her mother’s poop. It is like a pellet released by the mother koala. Don’t worry, this poop has many health benefits and will help the baby koala to be prepared to eat some eucalyptus leaves once they grow up.
Do Animals Love Their Offspring Like Humans?
Animals protect their young because of maternal instinct. However, some people believe that the reason why animals protect their young is because of love. Yes, animals have feelings and emotions like humans do but do they love their offspring as humans do?
Do animals love their offspring like humans? The answer is yes! Animals love their genes to be passed on that is why they protect their offspring until death. If animals don’t love their offspring, they would be extinct. Animal mothers care for their offspring by feeding them and protecting them until their last breath.
Animals form a strong relationship with their offspring. Even males love their offspring even though they left them while they are still inside their mother’s womb. If a male animal meets again the female he mates before and the female is with her cubs, the male’s fatherhood instincts will spark.
Animals have feelings too, and they can feel different emotions like humans do. Yes, instinct plays a big role in animals protecting their offspring. But never disregard the love because like I have said, animals are capable of loving and receiving love from other animals.
Final Verdict
Animals are very protective of their young. They don’t want their young to get hurt or killed. It is in the instinct of every animal mom to protect their young and to take care of them. Of course, love and compassion is also the reason why animal moms protect their young.
The love of a mother is unparalleled. Every responsible mom in this world, including human moms, wants the best for their children. Moms will never let their children get hurt by anyone else. That is why you guys should love your mom and respect them for every good they have done for you.
