One of the primal instincts in the animal kingdom apart from food and sex is the maternal instinct. This urge is so strong that many instances have been reported in the wild where one species will even nurture the young of a different species.
What is it that creates this desire to protect, comfort and feed one’s young. Partly I would guess that it relates to the survival of the species. Innate chemical processes create this desire that manifests itself as the maternal instinct.
In the human species the desire to assist the young of other species is not related to this same genetic compulsion but stems largely from the cuteness factor and from compassion. This impulse is as strong in humans as that of the maternal instructs. In reality, the wellspring of both these motivations has at its root the same cause: one’s humanity.
How could one possibly refuse to assist a three week old kitten whose mother has been killed or a young animal trapped in a ditch?
All these examples reflect the maternal instinct in action.