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It's tiring being a new mother — especially when your offspring are getting lots of attention as the first lion cubs to be born at London Zoo in a decade.
The 10-week-old pair — a male and a female — made their debut today, alongside mother Abi, who couldn't resist a yawn.
They are said to have developed their own personalities already after keepers witnessed them playing tug-of-war over food.
The male looked more adventurous than his daintier sister as they enjoyed a rough and tumble with Abi — the last cub to be born at the zoo in Regent's Park, in 1999 — and their father Lucifer, six, looking on. Madeleine Gordon, a keeper at the zoo, said: “We're thrilled about the arrival of the cubs. It's lovely to see that Abi is making such a good mother. They are amazing to watch.”
There are fewer than 300 Asian lions in the wild and they are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The zoo is part of the European Breeding Programme for lions.
