TIME and generation have passed but the song and stories which talk about the callousness of step mothers remain as a warning to a child growing up in the neighbourhoods of such places like Tandale, Upanga, Unga Limited, Buguruni, Msata, Mbagala, Kisemvule, Kihesa, Uzunguni, Manzese, Nyamagana and other such places, regardless of the economic status of the area and its people. Things are totally different though, in the middle of Serengeti, Katavi, Ruaha, Selous, Tarangire, Mikumi, Mkomazi and other national parks and game reserves where the lioness dwells with her new borns.

According to report from Duke University there are 35,656 lions in the World and the United Republic of Tanzania is on top of the list with the largest population of about 16,830 individuals moving freely in the Savannah.

It has been possible to increase their number because of the lions' way of life in the wild where they built a strong communal group called a Pride whose permanent members are female lions or lionesses.

Lionesses do most of their duties together ranging from hunting, defending their family or pride, feeding and taking care of their new borns or cubs.Normally a group consists of about six to ten lionesses who live with one or two brothers and pride owners whose main duties are breading and defending the pride against others.

After reaching the maturity stage lionesses seem to be ruthless and aggressive toward each other, but this is because of some unwanted stored energy within their bodies so now they tend to fight as a training procedure for future life full of challenges.

When they approach their first heat period the fight turns to males by beating them or rubbing their bodies against the males to trigger their sexual desire.Once spotted the male will take 'his wife' into a hidden place located very far out from the pride and make love to her repeatedly after every 25 minutes for four days without hunting or eating.

When on such honeymoon the pair may lie or walk next to each other before copulation takes place while the male is stroking his partner on the neck, shoulder with his tongue to raise her sexual desire. Scientist believes that conception take place on the fourth day of their honeymoon then the pair may go back to the pride.Gestation for lioness lasts for about 120 days. As the delivery day approaches she will separate herself from the pride and go into a hiding place where one to six cubs are born.

When many cubs are born, the lioness will sniff to choose the stronger, with more chances to live and take them in a special place leaving the weaker to die because of hunger and thirst. The hidden place normally is in a cave or between large rocks where enemies like African hunting dogs, hyenas, jackals, eagles and other scavengers and predators including lions can not reach easily.

The mother will visit her fellow members to check if the youngest cubs in pride are more than three months old, if the chance is not available she will keep her own cubs away until time allows.

The main reason for this act is all lactating lionesses milk the cubs indiscriminately which courses the young and weak ones to lost their chance of feeding on nutritious early milk important for building strong bones.

Then the mother will lead her cubs to join the pride consisting of other relatives like their sisters, brothers and father.This is the most dangerous time of their new life because in the group there might be young lions who are not used to cubs so they may kill them as prey.

Unlike males, young lionesses are taught how to take care of cubs on arrival of these new ones in the pride while older one goes away for hunting. Normally in a pride lionesses give birth at different times with two or three in an interval of short period of time allowing the rest of the team to carry on with other duties. One or two grown-up lionesses may stay back to milk all the cubs, defend and assisting the young female in taking care of them.If there is no young female in the pride a sick or weak female will stay back to do the job of nursing the cubs while others goes out to fetch food for the whole group.

If there is no sick member and availability of food within the same area is good one lioness may be asked to stay back to take care of the cubs while the rest go out for hunting. It is said that this mother may show very little favouritism to her own cubs.

If one lioness is sick and can not hunt she will be cared by her sisters and if she dies her cubs will be adapted by other members of the Pride without discrimination.

While the cubs are in the pride there is a lot of challenges but the most dangerous time is when there is pride takeover where the new lion or lions who is or are not their father overthrow the pride owner.

Unlike lionesses, lions do not want or take care of foster children so after assuming the control of the pride the next thing the lion does is to kill the small cubs of the previous owner to enable females to get into heart early.

Some experienced lionesses know the danger and price of pride takeover, so they will help the present owner to fight and defend the pride against the 'intruder'.When they lose the battle of defending the pride and its owner has been forced out these experienced lionesses may refuse to accept the new male so they will move out from the pride and go away to form another pride.

Lions are capable of holding a pride for a period of two years before being forced out by either one or two males in a coalition in a pride takeover.Lions also pay a heavy price when defending or fighting for a pride as some fight each other to death or sustain life long injuries.

To avoid conflicts the pride owners mark their area with urine which has a unique odour to every individual and proclaim its territory by roaring.