By Jaidyn Kennedy
Werribee Open Range Zoo roared with pride when it announced the birth of its future king or queen of the jungle.
The lion cub was born on the evening of Sunday, March 23 to seven-year-old mother Asali and eight-year-old father Sheru.
The zoo’s African river trail keeper Kieralie Braasch said the birth is incredibly exciting and the little cub is already hitting some very impressive milestones.
“The cub appears to be embracing its solo life without sibling competition, as it is thriving in both size and development,” Ms Braasch said.
“Cubs are usually born with their eyes closed for three days and don’t take their first steps for 15 days; however, this cub amazingly had its eyes open at the three-hour mark and was on the move after just 15 hours.”
This was the first time a single cub has been born in the zoo’s 41-year history, with most litters containing two to four cubs.
Ms Braasch said both mum and cub are doing extremely well and developing their bond.
“As with any birth, it was a sleepless night as keepers and our zoo vets observed Asali go into labour on remote access 24-hour den cameras,” Ms Braasch said.
“But Asali is showing all the positive maternal behaviours keepers would hope to see from a first-time mum – she is grooming the cub and they are really snuggling up to each other. “The cub is also drinking milk ferociously – it cannot stop!”
For six-to-eight weeks, Asali and her cub will bond in a private den, away from public view to mimic wild behaviour where a lioness would allow a cub to grow before introducing it to the pride.
The lion cub will have its first health check to determine its sex and will be named in the coming weeks.
