Monarto Safari Park Welcome Baby Lion to their Pride

Monarto Safari Park have provided footage from inside the den where female, Makena has welcomed her first cub. She gave birth on Saturday, August 12th 2023.

Senior Keeper of Carnivores, Rachel Hemming, says mum and cub are doing extremely well.

“As a first time mum we were monitoring Makena extremely closely for a few days via remote cameras with the vet team to make sure she was travelling alright after birth.

“We are happy to report they both are tracking along great, spending a lot of time grooming, suckling and bonding in the den.

“Makena from the very beginning has been an incredible mother. After birth, she immediately began cleaning and then grooming her cub. Quickly they figured out how to get in the right spot for the cub to suckle.

“She is a natural! Perhaps watching her half-sister Husani care for little cubs has helped this learning process.”

Mum and bub will spend the first 4 to 5 weeks bonding in the off-display den. Between 3 and 4 weeks old they will take their first steps out of the den.

“It isn’t until about 12 weeks old that this little one will be mobile enough to keep up with the rest of the pride, and it will be some time after this that the cub will begin to venture out onto exhibit,” finished Rachel.

Makena isn’t the only lion expecting at Monarto Safari Park. Keepers are eagerly awaiting the birth of more cubs to female, Husani. Husani is a highly experienced female who has raised three litters during her time at Monarto Safari Park.

Wild lions are suffering from the effects of habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict and the illegal wildlife trade. This has led the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to list the species as vulnerable to extinction.

Zoos SA are working to save wild lions through their support of the Zambian Carnivore Program, which does amazing work in conservation research, habitat restoration and education.