21.11.2024 – Source: Dierenpark Amersfoort, Photos by Nel Hoekstra
On the Internatonal Animal Day, 4th of October, lion cubs were born in DierenPark Amersfoort. They are two females. The cubs are in perfect health, drink well and opened their eyes after a few days.
The cubs names are Naya and Zola (photo by Dierenpark Amersfoort)
It is the first litter of brand-new mother Zaila. ‘The lioness is doing well, she is taking on the mother role perfectly,’ explains zookeeper Marc Belt. ‘Zaila is very protective and keeps a close eye on her offspring.’
After a gestation period of three and a half months, the cubs came into the world. For the first few weeks, the cubs only drink milk from their mother. After about six weeks, they also start eating meat. The cubs have black spots in their fur. In the wild, this makes the lion cubs barely noticeable among the yellow, barren grass on the African savannah. After about three months, the spots fade away. ‘For now, the cubs stay with their mother. In a few weeks, they will meet their aunt Sabi and their father Ramzes for the first time,’ Marc says.
The 12th of November was an exciting day for the lion cubs Naya and Zola, they got to go outside into the big enclosure with mum Zaila for the first time.
Mama is keeping an eye on both her kids and on the visitors. It’s no good to mess with her babies!
Sometimes the kids need some help ….
Aren’t my cubbies lovely?
Die Löwenkinder sind echte Wonneproppen und der ganze Stolz der jungen Mutter, die ihre Mutterrolle perfekt beherrscht.
Alles Gute und vielen Dank für die bezaubernden Fotos!
Dear Nel!
I have to admit that I’m a little envious. As a zoo visitor, you don’t get to see such magical scenes every day. The mini lions are adorable and their mum is doing a great job, she is caring and looks after them well. I can imagine that it’s hard to get away from the enclosure at the moment…
Thanks for showing us!
Hugs
Anke