An Asiatic lion cub plays with its mother's tail at London Zoo (Image: ZSL London Zoo) The cubs, born on March 13, spent their eight first weeks snug in their special indoor cub dens. Venturing outside, at first they looked to her for reassurance but the young lions were soon skipping around their Indian-inspired habitat, chasing each other and playing with mum's tail.
From their first moments of nursing to playful antics in the den, every development has been monitored by zookeepers and captured on the zoo's hidden cubcam. The three cubs will be sexed during their first health check later this month, and are an important addition to the zoo's conservation breeding programme, which safeguards a healthy population of the critically endangered Asiatic lions.
Surviving only in one part of the world - the Gir Forest in Gujarat, India - the wild population is particularly vulnerable to disease or natural disaster. Recent estimates suggest that only 600 to 700 individuals remain in the wild.
Visitors can now see Arya and her cubs at London Zoo. To find out more about the conservation zoo of Asiatic lions and book to visit London Zoo, visit londonzoo.org.
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