Why Do Animals Sometimes Kill Their Babies?
"It can seem unnatural," Barthel says, "but there are reasons. They might sound cold to us, but they're simple—and they have to do with resources."
Indeed, mother bears, felines, canids, primates, and many species of rodents—from rats to prairie dogs—have all been seen killing and eating their young. Insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds also have been implicated in killing, and sometimes devouring, the young of their own kind.
When mammalian mothers give birth, they must begin nursing their infants—something they can do only if they're healthy and well nourished.
But if, for instance, a mother bear in the wild gives birth to unhealthy or deformed cubs, or is unable to find enough to eat, she will typically kill and consume them.
"They become a resource, one she can't afford to waste," Barthel says.
