The love hormone makes lions friendlier animals

A number of scientists have worked for years to spray the noses of lions with oxytocin, which is also called the love hormone, and they found that it made these animals more friendly with their neighbors, and less quickly in roaring at alien lions.

This test, the results of which were published Wednesday in the journal "iScience", would help to make different groups of lions coexist peacefully in reserves, given the urban expansion that affects their habitats.

"I've always loved lions," neuroscientist and lead author Jessica Burckhardt told AFP.

After studying the brains of these animals in the lab, she wanted to monitor their behavior in real life.

While cats are known to be animals that live independently, lions are distinguished by the opposite, living in groups and defending or winning territory in the plains of the African savannah.

Burkhardt explains that "male lions, for example, leave their groups when they are a few years old, meet other males they do not know (...) and establish a lifelong bond with them."

This type of behavior indicates that lions, unlike tigers and leopards, who are introverted, are biologically programmed to be social in certain situations, making them suitable animals to be tested for the hormone oxytocin.

Greater endurance

This hormone plays a role in strengthening social bonds, as it is secreted in the mother's brain when she looks at her newborn's eyes, which raises a feeling of happiness for her.

Some therapists recommend that couples who are having problems look into each other's eyes to release oxytocin.

Similar results have been observed among different types of organisms, as well as between humans and their dogs.

Jessica Burckhardt and her colleagues tested the Denoking Game Reserve in South Africa, using pieces of meat to attract lions.

Using an instrument resembling an old perfume bottle, oxytocin was sprayed directly onto the animals' noses, with the goal of instant access to the brain.

It was noted that the twenty-three lions that were tested accepted the other lions in their surroundings better, especially if they were given an object they liked.

"When the lions received the hormone oxytocin, we gave them their favorite toy, and we noticed that their distance from other animals of their species decreased from seven meters before the test to 3.5 meters after receiving the oxytocin," Burkhart says.

Tested lions no longer roared at the same speed if they heard recordings of strange roaring lions, unlike lions that were not tested or just sprayed with saline.

Fears

The researcher considers that the decrease in the severity of aggression towards exotic lions is encouraging, because oxytocin is known to have a negative effect on humans as well. While the hormone evokes positive feelings towards close people, it enhances the feeling of hostility towards strangers.

Burckhardt believes that oxytocin therapy can be effective in many cases.

First he helps lions rescued from circuses or zoos in war zones, which are then placed in special shelters.

In addition, lions face a growing problem of expanding cities and increasingly nibbling on their land.

Therefore, animal advocates are forced to move lions to reserves where groups of them that do not know each other are forced to live together, and here comes the role of oxytocin in contributing to preventing fights between these animals.

Therapy also helps when lions return to the wild, allowing them to better adapt to their new social environment, by making them "more curious and less fearful," Burkhart says.

At the same time, however, the treatment raises fears that unscrupulous zoo officials featured in the American documentary series "Tiger King" will use it to allow visitors to their zoos the opportunity to touch lions.

The associations are highly critical of this practice.

"There are a lot of corrupt people," Burkhardt notes, adding, "We hope that oxytocin will be more helpful than harmful."

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