Lioness gives birth to 4 cubs. Then came an extra surprise at Oklahoma zoo
In the early hours of May 20, an African lioness welcomed four cubs to the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden.
Zookeepers were thrilled to see Dunia give birth to the healthy cubs, but the 8-year-old mother shocked zookeepers that night.
She gave birth to a fifth cub, zoo officials said.
“Soon after their birth, the cubs were scooting around and began nursing, both good signs that they are thriving,” Tyler Boyd, the zoo’s curator of carnivores, said.
Video posted to the zoo’s Facebook page May 22 shows the newborn cubs scooting around and getting comfortable next to their mother.
This is Dunia’s second litter in two years, according to a news release from the zoo. Before she gave birth in September 2022, the Oklahoma zoo had not welcomed a litter of African cubs in 15 years.
“This birth is significant to not only the OKC Zoo but lion populations globally,” Boyd said. “African lions are classified as vulnerable through the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and we are excited to be able to increase the lion population globally.”
African lion populations have decreased because of illegal hunting, habitat and resource loss and human conflict, according to the zoo. It’s estimated there are fewer than 40,000 mature lions in Africa.
The cubs will be closed off to the public while they bond with their mother, and the zoo plans to make “slow and steady” introductions, according to the Facebook post.
This story was originally published May 23, 2024 at 11:32 AM with the headline "Lioness gives birth to 4 cubs. Then came an extra surprise at Oklahoma zoo."
