Four new lion cubs arrive at SA’s Monarto Zoo
It’s baby joy – times four – for Monarto Zoo with the arrival of four lion cubs to first-time mum Husani.
SA News
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Four new lion cubs have been welcomed by Monarto Safari Park staff over the weekend.
Born on Sunday, staff at the park said the cubs have stayed under the attentive eye of first-time mum Husani in an isolated den.
“It’s very exciting to see Husani with her litter. We’re so proud of how she’s taken to caring for her young,” assistant curator Anna Bennett said.
“At this early stage we are giving the new family complete privacy, and only monitoring developments through a webcam in the den.”
Footage from the webcam has shown the little cubs stumbling over each other to find their mum’s teats.
Ms Bennett said while the staff are celebrating the new additions, they are reflecting on the current state of lion populations around the world, which are declining rapidly.
“It is therefore imperative that breeding programs like the one at Monarto Safari Park exist – they are pivotal to securing the future of this beautiful species.”
The park has acknowledged the new litter as a “lifeblood of new hope for the species”, which is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
There are an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 lions remaining in the wild.
The cubs’ genders have not yet been determined and they will remain with Husani in their den while the family bonds.
The date for visiting the cubs is yet to be set.
Husani was born in the breeding program at the park six years ago.
