Lion cub Fortis, who was born in the zoo of Irkutsk, was only one and a half months old. Due to injury, the animal’s hind leg was amputated.
After the doctors discharged Fortis, he was placed in an enclosure with other young animals to get used to life in the zoo. In the enclosure, the lion cub met the labrador Elsa, who took care of him.
At first, the puppy and the lion cub behaved like friends: they played, ate together and slept side by side. Since dogs become adults before lions, over time their relationship changed and from a friend, Elsa became a mother to Fortis.
Although very soon the lion cub not only caught up, but also surpassed Elsa in size, the dog remained an authority for him, which he does not dare to contradict.
Six months passed and two tigresses were brought to the Irkutsk zoo. The sisters were settled in the same enclosure where Elsa and Fortis lived, and soon all the animals became good friends.
The tigress was named Lavender and Liana, from the first days in Irkutsk they began to treat Elsa as their mother. Foster children have long outgrown the Labrador, but the dog enjoys unquestioned authority, so both the lion and the tigress consider her the leader of the pack and obey.
According to the director of the zoo, Elsa still behaves like a mother, protecting and protecting her unusual children. Interestingly, Elsa gives the best pieces of food to Fortis, then she eats herself, and then the tigress can satisfy her hunger. The dog treats all three of her “children” with love, but the lion has more freedom, while the labrador keeps the tigress in severity.
