Adorable scenes of lion cubs taking their first steps outside

London Zoo’s three Asiatic lion cubs have been spotted taking their first steps outside with mum Arya. Adorable pictures show the eight-week-olds appearing tentative at first, looking for mum for reassurance, but they were soon spotted jumping around their Indian-inspired habitat, chasing each other and playing with their mum’s tail .

London Zoo says: “The cubs, born on 13 March 2024, have so far spent their time quietly in their special indoor cub dens with their mother. The trio has yet to be sexed, and that will happen during the first health check later. month.”

The three cubs are an important addition to the conservation breeding program, which protects a healthy population of the critically endangered species.

Surviving only in the Gir Forest of Gujarat, India, the wild population is particularly vulnerable to disease or natural disasters. Recent population estimates suggest that only 600 to 700 individuals remain in the wild.

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