Assam State Zoo Welcomes 2 Lion Cubs In New Year

The cubs have not yet been named or had their sex determined. They will stay behind the scenes with their mother for several weeks as they grow.

Lioness Rani's two cubs at Assam State Zoo

Guwahati: Lioness Rani gave birth to two cubs on Tuesday at the Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden in Guwahati, and they appear to be healthy. They have begun being nursed and will soon begin to be more mobile and open their eyes.

The cubs have not yet been named or had their sex determined. They will stay behind the scenes with their mother for several weeks as they grow.

Rani is seven-years-old and previously had a cub. The cubs’ father is Leo. Both Rani and Leo were brought to the Guwahati zoo from Gujarat zoo.

The Assam state zoo at present has a total of seven lions. While four of them were brought from zoos' outside the state, three were born in Guwahati zoo.

The zoo authorities are keeping an eye on ensuring that the mother and the cubs do not face any problems.

“Lioness Rani gave birth to two healthy cubs on Tuesday morning and both are doing well. The mother and the cubs are being kept in isolation and will be kept there for some time before being moved to an open enclosure. The zoo keepers are taking good care of them and all the zoo staff are very excited about the arrival of the new members,” zoo Divisional Forest Officer Ashwani Kumar told ABP Live.

“Glad to have received the news of lioness Rani in Assam State Zoo giving birth to two cubs today. I congratulate all the officials of Assam State Zoo. Directed officials to take all necessary steps for ensuring well-being of new born cubs,”Assam Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary tweeted.

The Assam State Zoo had recently celebrated the birth of a new member, a Black Panther cub, to parents Meena and Mohan. 

It is now the only zoo in the country to have a family of five black panthers, and a total of six black panthers in captivity, including the cub.

The zoo authorities have made special arrangements to deal with the extreme cold weather condition to keep the animals warm. Several heaters have been installed in the enclosure of the animals to protect them from the spine chilling cold.

The cages where these heaters have been installed primarily belong to the felines like tigers, lions besides other small and big animals. On the other hand, stubbles have been used in the enclosures where the Himalayan bears stay.

High-powered electric bulbs have been put in place and lighted in the enclosure of the birds to keep them warm. Moreover, their entire sheds have been covered with plastic sheets to protect the cold breeze from entering.

The Assam State Zoo is home to over 1200 animals. Thousands of visitors, both domestic and foreigners, come to the zoo to have a glimpse of some of the endangered and exotic animals who are housed at the biggest zoo of the region.

The author is a senior journnalist covering the Northeast.