Tiger "nanny": In Nepal, a tiger was filmed taking care of her own and another's cubs
In Nepal, a BBC film crew observed an unusual situation: a female tiger named Goma, along with her own two cubs, was also looking after the three cubs of another female. During this time, the second mother was feeding.
Tiger "babysitter": In Nepal, a tiger was filmed taking care of both her own and another tiger's cubs
The incident was recorded on a small river island near Bardia National Park in western Nepal.
While Goma stayed behind with five cubs, the second female, named Jugini, was feeding. Project participants presented this as the first known case to them of a tiger taking care of another female's cubs in the wild.
At the same time, this does not mean that these tigers have never done this before. It is extremely difficult to observe such behavior in predators that lead a hidden life among dense vegetation.
"I have never seen a situation like this: one mother leaving her cubs with another. This is certainly extraordinary," naturalist Manju Mahatara said in a BBC Wildlife article.
The footage and accounts of the observation participants were published in June 2026.
Project participant Dan O'Neill said the island covers an area of nearly four square kilometers. It is considered a local community forest: people do not live on the island permanently, but there are villages nearby.
The film crew recorded a total of 17 tigers here, including three females and their cubs. Such close proximity allowed for the observation of relationships that usually go unnoticed.
The work initially began with installing camera traps along animal trails and in areas used by families with cubs. The tigers were distinguished from one another by the stripe patterns on their bodies. It was this method that helped determine that the cubs alongside one female belonged to two different families.
The authors also provided a possible explanation for the peaceful relationship between Goma and Jugini: Goma might be Jugini's mother. If confirmed, Goma was taking care of her grandchildren alongside her own cubs.
However, their kinship has not been confirmed by genetic analysis. For now, this remains a hypothesis based on previous observations.