Lion cubs on show

Press, 30 December 1976, Page 2

Lion cubs on show

Two male lion cubs, bom 17 days ago, made their first public appearance yesterday at Orana Park. “They are doing fabulously, and we are thrilled,” said the director of Orana Park (Mr P. Garland). Spook, the cubs’ mother, is also very proud of her offspring. The births were kept secret to m ike sure that the cubs would survive. The people at Orana Park are still keenly aware of the disappointment caused by the loss of three cubs from Snook’s sister’s litter last month. “Any abnormalitv usually occurs in the first week,” said Mr Garland. But the two young brothers have continued to thrive, and have nearly tripled their birth weight of 1.35 kg, he said.

n The lioness and her cubs t were kept out of the public y eye on purpose. In the wild, lionesses leave the pride to r, have tljeir cubs. Orana Park e respected this instinct and r kept right away from Spook, >’ intruding only to feed her f and weigh the cubs daily. The glass of the “matemt ity annex” was covered with e paper, and an “out of order” e sign kept the crowds away. 1 The delayed announcement - yesterday caused a stir, and s crowds 'gathered to glimpse s the new arrivals. “The young cubs are proby ablv the first lion cubs to be " born in New Zealand and surj vive for a long time,” said - Mr Garland. They were pere fectly formed and covered a with spots, he said. This is Spook's second lit-

ter, as she bore cubs in Australia before coming to New Zealand. There were three cubs in the present litter, but the smallest male died. He was a reminder of the high cub mortality rate among the lions. More than 80 per cent of cubs die, even in the wild. The lioness will frequently abandon a remaining cub, and even a litter, to return to the pride, Mr Garland said. A competition to name the cubs would be run by 3ZB during the first two weeks in January, Mr Garland said. The radio station ran a similar “name the cub” competition last month, but the con- > test lapsed when the cub! died of a bowel malfunction.!