Gujarat, September 24: A rare romantic and rather sexual behaviour was spotted between two male lions in Gir National Park in Gujarat. The homosexual behaviour in big cats was observed as one lion mounted the other in mid-July in the secluded bush area of the park in Amreli district, reported TOI.

According to reports, a social forestry officer was observing a male lion mating with a lioness outside Gir. The officer was left in shock when after a few successful couplings, the lioness grew tired and the lion moved away from her. The male lion then mounted another male lion who was waiting at a distance. Minutes later, the first lion returned to the lioness and started mating. 'Gay' Dog Abandoned by Owners at US Animal Shelter After They Found Him Humping Another Male Dog!.

According to the official, the male lions engaged in sexual activity at least three times in four days of mating with the lioness. Meanwhile, gay encounters with lions are rare but not unknown. Homosexuality in Gir lions and lionesses has been noted since 1973 by forest officials, and researchers. However, such acts have been observed in less than 2% of the mating incident, a senior official of Gir said. BP Pati, in Homosexuality in Asiatic Lions: A case study from Gir National park and Sanctuary, has stated that the Asiatic lion is a social animal, and its natural sexual behaviour is generally restricted to heterosexualism, but there are a few exceptions. Cheetah Is Coming Back! Here's Everything About India's Plan to Translocate Extinct Cheetahs From Africa.

The paper noted that the homosexual activity among these two males was first observed in 1999 for five days continuously in November and 3 days continuously in December when the larger lion mounted the smaller one. The smaller one rarely growled, unlike the larger one and each mounting lasted 12-13 seconds.

In a similar incident, lesbianism in Gir lioness was observed in 1982 when two lionesses encountered sexual activities. During this coupling, a lioness mounted another with the same actions as the male, including neck biting, growling, and rolling on its back. Then the females switched positions.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 24, 2022 02:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).