History Main / CubCuesProtectiveParent

* This trope is not limited to wild animals. Domesticated animals can be very protective of their young. Farm livestock such as chickens, ducks and geese will drive off predators or potential threats approaching their chicks. Pets too act this way; a mother cat will fight to the death to defend her kittens and mice have been known to bite at humans trying to pet or hold their babies.

* American black bears, interestingly, are usually an aversion, as they prefer to avoid humans and mother bears will often simply make their cubs climb trees to get away.[[note]]Statistically, the solid majority of black bear attacks are by lone males defending territory or seeking food. That said, all bears are dangerous and messing with cubs on purpose makes you TooDumbToLive.[[/note]] Get between a Grizzly bear and her cubs, however, and may God have mercy on your soul.

** Invoked by Roland in his quest to hunt the ''T. Rex'': he encounters a baby ''T. Rex'' in a nest, and decides to kidnap it, chain it down, and break its leg, causing it to scream for its parents. All to lure the adult ''T. Rex'' into a trap.

*** Also ''beautifully'' subverted during the main story of ''Legends Arceus,'' during the DarkestHour, no less. [[spoiler: after the [[RedSkyTakeWarning the sky turns red]] and Kamado banishes you from the village, the nearby Pearl and Diamond Clan Wardens refuse to take [[PlayerCharacter Araki/Rei]] in, citing the risk of ''open war with the Galaxy Team.'' Araki/Rei is left all alone on a cliff overlooking a river, looking totally defeated. Then, [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments a wild Shinx approaches them, and they bend down and smile at its adorableness]]. Then it leaves to rejoin its parents, two [[HoYay male]] Luxio who had been watching the two of them. They then walk off together in peace. All Pokémon species have the ability to read human emotions. The implication is that the Shinx sensed that you needed comfort at this low point, and the Luxio willingly let it approach, sensing or trusting that Akari/Rei wouldn't attack. To drive this point home, Shinx happens to be the very same species of Pokémon the game used to teach you about the Pokémon species that directly attack you on sight.]]

* The Goose that lays the Golden Eggs in ''WesternAnimation/PussInBoots'' turns out to be the gosling of a [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever very large goose]]. [[spoiler:Humpty Dumpty's plan is to let Mama thrash the town while he absconds with the baby and the eggs.]]
* In Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Tarzan}}'' Jane encounters a cute little baby baboon which steals her journal. After Jane steals it back, the baby baboon starts crying, calling the attention of its mother and the rest of its family.

'''Jane:''' ''[[[OhCrap laughing nervously]]]'' See, I told you they'd be cross..! ''[backing away]'' Go easy on him, children will be children. ''[trips over root, and [[ExitPursuedByABear runs away when the troop attacks]]]''
* ''WesternAnimation/BrotherBear2'':
** This happens in with a brother instead of a mother. When Koda gets chased up a tree, it only takes a roar from Kenai to realize that he's here to save Koda.
** When Nita goes to get her amulet back from a raccoon's nest, she finds a baby clinging to it. She knocks the baby back into his nest, only for the baby to yell for his mama, causing [[Main/OhCrap every raccoon to turn on her]].

* ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000:'' The crew watch ''Film/CatchingTrouble'', in which outdoorsman Ross Allen captures wild animals for zoos. When Ross begins harassing some bear cubs, Joel and the 'bots begin wishing that mama bear would show up and attack.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', Binky has a dream where he is on a mountain of burgers. He picks one up to eat it, only for it to scream out for its mother, who is a giant burger wearing Dame Edna glasses, causing Binky to flee.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTimeIITheGreatValleyAdventure'', the gang of dinosaur kids find an egg and, at first thinking it to be an egg from one of their parent's nests, carry the thing home. It turns out to be a Sharptooth (or T-Rex) egg, and the group starts trying to raise 'Chomper' - [[spoiler:the parents come looking for him]]. Played with in this case, as the [[spoiler:Mama and Daddy actually end up helping the main characters before taking their baby home]].

* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI9hxjJBnsc one episode]] of ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'' a toddler Yuri points at "a big doggy" when her father Tokusa finds her. Tokusa understandably freaks out as he realizes the "[[MistakenForDog doggy]]" is a ''[[BearsAreBadNews bear cub]] and deducts the mother will appear soon. Cue mother bear appearing from the side, ready to maul both of them if they get too close.

* In ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI9hxjJBnsc one episode]] of ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'' a toddler Yuri points at "a big doggy" when her father Tokusa finds her. Tokusa understandably freaks out as he realizes the "[[MistakenForDog doggy]]" is a ''[[BearsAreBadNews bear cub]]'' and deducts the mother will appear soon. Cue mother bear appearing from the side, ready to maul both of them if they get too close.

* In ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI9hxjJBnsc one episode]] of ''WebAnimation/EtraChanSawIt'' a toddler Yuri points at "a big doggy" when her father Tokusa finds her. Tokusa realizes it's a ''bear cub'', and deducts the mother will appear soon. Cue mother bear appearing from the side, ready to protect it.

* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': In "Jungle Moon", Stevonnie comes across a tiny bird-like creature and struggles to decide whether to eat it or not since they have ran out of snacks; the bird's mother then appears and tries to attack Stevonnie.

** [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1988/08/28 Another strip]] has this happen with an ''alarm clock'', of all things.

** An interesting variation is presented in ''Film/GodzillaVsMechagodzillaII''. The G-Force find what they initially believe to be a pteranodon egg when the giant mutant pteranodon Rodan attacks them; they're able to escape only when Franchise/{{Godzilla}} shows up to attack Rodan. Then the egg hatches and produces a baby Godzillasaurus, which they speculate was a sort of parasite egg that had been sneaked into the Rodan nest; Rodan was defending it because it was basically his surrogate brother, while Godzilla was seeking to retrieve a fellow Godzillasaurus. Godzilla and Rodan [[EnemyMine team up]] to defeat Mechagodzilla and retrieve Godzilla Jr.; by the end of the film, Godzilla has adopted the infant.

** Turned into an entire game mechanic in ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus''. There are some places throughout Hisui where Pokémon of the same evolutionary line spawn; during mass outbreaks, the reported Pokémon's evolved form also has a chance of appearing even if there otherwise is none. If an evolved Pokémon sees you catch or battle its prevolution, it ''will'' turn aggressive, even if the species normally isn't.

* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheWuzzles'' involves a baby [[MixAndMatchCritters brahma bullfinch]], an adorable little cow-bird creature whose mother happens to be a house-sized engine of destruction. An entire ''flock'' of them descends on Croc's house by the end of the episode, with predictable results.

* In the second ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime'', the gang of dinosaur kids find an egg and, at first thinking it to be an egg from one of their parent's nests, carry the thing home. It turns out to be a Sharptooth (or T-Rex) egg, and the group starts trying to raise 'Chomper' - needless to say, [[spoiler:the parents come looking for him]]. Played with in this case, as the [[spoiler:Mama and Daddy actually end up helping the main characters before taking their baby home]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' had an episode with a visiting rock star wanting to film himself feeding a bear cub. Eliza tries to warn him of this trope, but he refuses to listen, which of course brings out an angry mother bear attacking the kids.

* In "The Bunyip", a young Australian aborigine catches the Bunyip's cub while fishing with some friends and refuses to return it. As punishment, he and the rest of his village are [[BalefulPolymorph turned into black swans]].

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': If you're wandering around in the wild and you see a baby Kangaskhan playing by itself...'''''RUN.'''''

* In ''VideoGame/Mother3'', at the end of Chapter 3, Yokuba[[labelnote:*]]Fassad in the English fan translation[[/labelnote]] and the Pigmasks have Salsa, Kumatora, and Wess cornered, when Lucas and the baby Drago (whose father had been turned into a chimera) show up. Yokuba is ready to crush the little guys...until the baby cries out and Mama Drago charges in to save the day.

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' features an episode in which a baby pterodactyl — named Chobi by Gohan and Goten — is kidnapped from his nest by a circus ringleader. Knowing that Chobi's parents will be angry to find their baby gone, Gohan suits up as Great Saiyaman to get him back. He is attacked by Videl, who fights him to get the baby back, thinking [[WhatAnIdiot he stole it from its rightful owner]]. This causes Chobi to cry, and his parents swoop in and start attacking the city, not stopping until their child is returned.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' had an episode with a visiting rock star wanting to film himself feeding a bear cub. Eliza tries to warn him of this trope, but [[WhatAnIdiot he refuses to listen]], which of course brings out an angry mother bear attacking the kids.

* A three-part episode of the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' anime saw Team Rocket take advantage of this instinct to try and capture a [[OlympusMons Lugia]], by abducting its remarkably cute offspring. Let's just say it didn't go as planned.

* When attacked, the little Bulbords in the ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' games may cry loud enough to awaken any nearby big Bulborbs.