Newborn lion cub and giraffe triplets walk out after baby boom in zoo
The triplet lion cubs have made their public debut, just a few hundred meters from the newborn giraffe, at the Taronga Western Plains Dubbo Zoo.
Key points:
- Three lion cubs and a giraffe cub have made their public debut at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo
- The lions were born in April but spend time away from the public eye to bond with their parents
- Giraffes born on weekends in front of zoo guests
It came after a giraffe was born over the weekend in front of shocked zoo guests.
The three lioness cubs were born in April but have been kept away from the public until now, in order to bond with their parents and be vaccinated.
First parents Marion and Lwazi accompanied their little ones out of their cage where they quickly became the center of attention.
“Guards and guests enjoyed watching her cubs climb trees and rocks, although Marion seems to be very wary as a first-time mother with these very confident cubs,” said lion watchdog Justine Powell.
“The kids are very adventurous and playful and love taking their dad Lwazi out with them to practice their pouncing, stalking and fighting skills.”
The cubs are the first lion cubs born at the zoo since 2016.
“Last time we breed here we had four boys so the tide has adjusted,” Powell said.
“This is great because they are easier to manage for us and they create a power of pride, because it is women who control pride.”
Finding their teeth
The cubs are now 16 weeks old and gaining about a pound per week.
They leave the soft food and enjoy their first carcass.
“The cubs have recently progressed from things like minced meat, which is easy to eat … to eating carrion,” Powell said.
“They’re pretty much on the adult diet, just bits and pieces.
“Today they have beef with bones in it, so they’re used to tearing meat off the bones.”
Name a child
Two of the cubs were named by the zoo’s lion keeper and supporter of the Taronga Foundation.
But the zoo has launched a competition with the public to name a third child.
The cubs and their parents will be on display daily from 11.15am to 2.15pm, and this will slowly expand as their confidence grows.
“Each child has a very different personality and we love to observe more of that as the children explore their habitat,” said Powell.
Visitors witness the birth of a giraffe
On Saturday, a zoo visitor told the front desk that a giraffe had just given birth to amazed guests.
After struggling to stand, the newborn giraffe needs encouragement from Mvita’s mother’s soft hooves to help it find its wobbly legs.
Giraffe keepers agree that Wayo, which means “footprint” in Swahili, is a suitable name for a newcomer.
It comes just one month after the birth of another giraffe calf at the Western Plains Zoo.
Another giraffe at the zoo is also pregnant — a positive sign for its breeding program.
The zoo said the species is currently facing “silent extinction” worldwide, and the program aims to help it bounce back.
The number of giraffes has decreased in the wild over the past decade due to habitat encroachment, snares, civil unrest and poaching.
The wild population is estimated to be less than 117,000, representing a 40 percent decline over 30 years.
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