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I was just curious. Lion cubs are usually held by the excess skin on the back of their necks. (As Simba holds Kiara) But Zira picks Kovu up as he lies sideways, putting her whole mouth over his middle body and carrying him sideways. Would this have hurt him if Kovu was real? I noticed he grunted a bit...

I think that was a subtle sign of Zira's demeanor. She's a negative character, and that (by design) bleeds through into all her behaviors. She's nasty, callous, largely uncaring, and in short not very good mother material.

I think how she was carrying him was a simpler form of how this lioness carries her cub http://youtube.com/watch?v=mD28jxHYjwM I honestly thought her way to carry Kovu made more sense than how Simba carried Kiara, but hey. She did seem rough when she was carrying him, nonetheless.

How about the way Sarabi picked up cub Simba when it was time for his bath,I mean she picked him up by the head,instead of the neck.

i wondered that to it looked like she hunted him as she carried him away i used to own a few cats even dogs most the their loosened skin can be found on their neck but, my cat had his on his back as well i guess his mom lifted him like zira did kovu. it might just be where ever mom feels cub /pup/kitten will be sure that the young one can't fall. Actully i spotted this one cat carring her young by its tail talk about rough it was akward

Lol, that's so he wouldn't escape XD

And Zira was carrying Kovu in a 'wrong' way, all kittens and cubs have a flap of skin behind their necks so their mothers can carry them without hurting them. Obviously the animators wanted to make Zira look more cruel by having her carry Kovu the improper way

- Rebel ~ <3

That's pretty much what I said.

Yeah, Zira grabbed him like that 'cause she didn't care how she carries her cubs. Nasty old bat she is!

I've been asking the same thing a few time ago. The way Zira holds Kovu is just how a real life lioness hold a newborn cub, like in this pic:
However, Kovu is already bigger and Zira wouldn't have a "bigger enough mouth" to hold him. Or she simply hold him like that because she is evil. XD

And if you watch the 1° movie of TLK, you'll see that Mufasa holds him just like that during the stamped.

Yeah, that's just what i would say!

well most lionesses hold newborn cubs EXACTLY like so... BUT... Kovu is like 4 or somtin, so i dunno why Zira hold him like tht!!! If u no how to post an image plz tell meh im new im just figuring stuff out XD

I think Zira is just mean.

Lis