The wonder years: Lionesses The core of joint families

The lionesses is a disciplinarian and the cubs obey her commands. When the mother is away on a hunt, cubs huddle up and remain silent and hidden. They come out only when their mother calls them with a low grunt. The cubs run towards their mother letting out excited meowing sounds.

The cubs are allowed to play away from their mother, but they have to report back at fixed intervals. If they don’t, the mother growls and the kids run to her apologetically.

The task of rearing and training the cubs is mainly the responsibility of the mother and her sisters. She makes sure that the cubs are licked clean till they are old enough to handle personal hygiene. The young cubs are very adamant in their demand for affection of the lioness. They wail, scream and crying not only when they are hungry, but when they feel cold or ignored.

A group of females and their young ones form the core of a pride. The male coalition patrols and defends the pride’s territory. But males have restricted tenure as pride members. Females of a pride seldom break away, except for mating and giving birth.

Sometimes, a pair of males will remain independent of a group while maintaining a connection with the family.

Subadult males, on the other hand, are generally driven out of the pride when they turn three. They later form their own groups that hold for a few years. By the age of five or six, they try to take over the pride by defeating the dominant male.