Whilst Sydney’s iconic Taronga Zoo has been closed to visitors, the animals have been getting busy. Keepers have just welcomed five purrfect new African lion cubs into the Taronga family.
The cubs – three females and two males – are now six weeks old. The babies are continuing to grow and develop and this week took their first steps into their holding yard, with their paws touching grass for the very first time. Taronga has released some adorable new footage of the cubs' progress:
The cubs were also given their weekly weigh-in and are now between 5.5kg and 6.5kg, which keepers say is testament to mum Maya who is taking expert care of the large litter.
While the cubs are still finding their paws, guests will be able to pay them a virtual visit. In a first for Taronga, the public will be able to gain live behind-the-scenes access to watch the cubs grow on what the zoo is calling ‘Cub Cam’. With a small tax-deductible donation of just $7, the public can access a 24/7 live stream of the five precious cubs. All donations support Taronga’s vital conservation work around the globe. Head to taronga.org.au/cubcam for access.
Cub Cam is the latest addition to the zoo’s streaming service Taronga TV, which also hosts a bunch of free livestreams from a menagerie of different animal enclosures and keeper talks. A dedicated 24/7 livestream of the zoo’s adorable penguins was another recent addition.
This is the first time Taronga Zoo has had lion cubs in over 18 years. The cubs were born to experienced mum Maya and first-time dad Ato on Thursday, August 12, which in a sweet turn of events also happened to coincide with Ato’s fourth birthday.