For the first time since 2007, lion cubs have been born at the zoo at Bellewaerde Park, in the West Flemish town of Ieper. One of the cubs is a male lion, the other a lioness. The proud parents are Nestor and Zari. The zoo brought them together last summer in the hope that they would breed.
The cubs were born at the end of November. However, the park has only announced their birth now in order to allow them the rest that they needed before they entered the public eye.
3 cubs
Bellewaerde’s Filip Van Dorpe told VRT News that "The gestation period for a lion is on average 102 to 112 days, with a maximum of 120 days. After 120 days, Zari gave birth to three cubs on 29 November. One cub sadly died on 7 December. However, among their species, an average of 40 per cent of cubs do not survive the first few months. The fact that the other two cubs are in good health is therefore very good news”.
“This is a valuable addition for the European breeding programme that which has just 110 animals. Today, there are only 250 northern lions living in the wild. Each birth is therefore important in order to prevent the species from becoming extinct”.
The cubs have yet to be given names. Those with season tickets for Bellewaerde can put forward suggests for names when they visit the zoo.