The heart-melting moment a lioness at a wildlife park shows her eight-day-old cub to the world for the first time
- Pictures taken at the Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve in Kent show a lioness parading her eight-day-old cub
- The proud parent, named Oudrika, is seen carrying her youngster gently in her giant jaws
- The lioness gave birth to a total of three cubs in the early hours of May 13 and is said to be doing well
Advertisement
For a big paw-full of cuteness scroll down now.
Pictures taken at the Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve in Kent show a lioness parading her eight-day-old cub to the world for the first time.
The proud parent, named Oudrika, is seen carrying her youngster gently in her giant jaws and affectionately nuzzling him after placing him down.
Pictures taken at the Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve in Kent show a lioness, named Oudrika, parading her eight-day-old cub to the world for the first
The little cat’s body appears to be limp as he’s lifted over to a grassy area.
But as soon as he’s released from his mother’s mouth, the cub starts wriggling.
His eyes are not open and he has to rely on his parent for guidance.
In total, Oudrika gave birth to three cubs in the early hours of May 13.
They were the first cubs to be born at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve in more than ten years.
The little cat’s body appears to be limp as he’s lifted over to a grassy area. But as soon as he’s released from his mother’s mouth, the cub starts wriggling
Oudrika gave birth to three cubs in the early hours of May 13. The youngsters are currently weaning and they will be fully weaned at 10 months
Oudrika’s mate is an impressive male named Adras, and the first-time parents are said to be doing well.
Richard Barnes, who heads up the reserve’s big cat section, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to see how well Oudrika and Adras are coping as first-time parents.
‘Oudrika is proving to be an excellent mother and is taking great care of the little ones. It is still very early days, but it looks as though things are going extremely well.’
The cubs are currently weaning from their mother and they will be fully weaned at 10 months. By the age of two their hunting skills will be honed and they will be fully-grown by three to four years.
This February, two lodges were installed within Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve’s big cat area, which spans 1.2 acres.
These accommodation blocks offer guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in the lives of the reserve’s lion pride thanks to large floor-to-ceiling viewing windows.
Oudrika’s mate is an impressive male named Adras, and the first-time parents are said to be doing well
Guests staying in the Lion Lodges in May got prime viewing when Oudrika introduced her cubs.
Park-keeper Richard said: ‘Lionesses nurse their cubs in a den and will occasionally bring them out one at a time to show their mate.
‘Oudrika is clearly proud of her achievement and it’s great that this has been caught on camera.’
Teams at the reserve have been working on installing ‘cub cams’ so that people all over the world can track the little lions’ progress via the reserve’s social media channels.
For further information about Lion Lodge and to book a stay call 01303 234112. For further information about Port Lympne visit www.aspinallfoundation.org/portlympne.