He might be king of Werribee Open Range Zoo, but pride male lion, Sheru, is not above a bit of baby-sitting.
The six year old father is spending an increasing amount of time looking after his trio of three month old cubs, much to the delight of zoo visitors.
The sight of Mwezi, Kianga and Jango clamouring over their formidable father is now a common one in their enclosure on the zoo’s African River Trail and their keeper Lydia Whiteway said Sheru is growing into life as a parent.
“Sheru spends a lot of time laying down and allowing the cubs to pounce on him. They will then jump, climb, playfully
bite, and paw at his mane,” she said.
“After all the action, they also have some really nice quiet time. We often see them lying between his paws and resting together, which is lovely to see.”
Ms Whiteway said the growth in strength and resilience of the cubs is enabling them to spend longer periods of time with Sheru and also in view of Zoo visitors.
“During the past three months, the cubs would often tire very quickly after small periods of play and retreat to the comforts of their den with their mother Nilo,” she said.
“Now, the cubs have the stamina to explore their habitat for an entire day at a time.”
African lions are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, with their population declining to around only 39,000 in the wild in sub-Saharan Africa.
The lion pride at Werribee Open Range Zoo is part of the Australasian zoo breeding and conservation program.
Cade Lucas
