FOUR LION CUBS

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 264, 4 August 1936, Page 16

FOUR LION CUBS

Births at Auckland Zoo EXCEPTIONAL LITTER Dominion Special Service. Auckland, August 1. Four healthy cubs were born to the lioness Trixy at the Auckland Zoological Park yesterday morning. This number in a single Utter is very exceptional, and has not previously been recorded in Auckland, although a similar occurrence was reported about a montdi ago from the zoological garden attached to H.M.S. Excellent naval gunnery school, Portsmouth, England. Extreme care is being taken by Zoo officials not to disturb Trixy for fear that, in anger, she might hurt the cubs. For some days, therefore, it will nob be known what their sex is, but it is expected'that there will be two males and two females. Their father, Victor, has not yet been allowed to join them and at least a fortnight will elapse before they will be on view to the public. Trixy and Victor, who are both about 16 years old and have spent most of their lives at the Zoo, are the parents of all the stock there, with bhe exception of a lion, Tom, and two cubs. They have had four litters, three of which consisted of two cubs, and one of three. Tom was mated with one of Tnxys daugnters. Nona, and the two additional cubs are their offspring. They were born last April. The curator of the Zoo, Colonel E. R. Sawer, explained yesterday that a lioness normally produced two cubs, which were invariably male and female. Triplets, however, were not uncommon, although generally the third cub was weakly and rarely survived. It might be either male or female. A lioness was usually a very good mother, he added, and took great care of her young. Great interest in the cubs was generally taken by the father, and in this respect lions and their consorts compared very favourably with tigers and leopards, which were poor parents. Colonel Sawers said that if all the latest litter survived there would be eight cubs at the Zoo and steps were being taken to exchange some for other exhibits. Several years ago a number of cubs were sold to a circus, which recently visited Auckland with them.