Visakhapatnam, Sep 22 (PTI) An Asiatic lioness at Vizag Zoo has given birth to four cubs, a significant achievement for its conservation breeding programme, an official said on Tuesday.
G Mangamma, curator of Indira Gandhi Zoological Park, Visakhapatnam, said the four Asiatic lion cubs were born about a month ago.
“IGZP, Visakhapatnam, has recorded a significant success in its conservation breeding programme with the birth of four Asiatic lion cubs. The cubs were born about a month ago,” she said in a press release.
According to the curator, the cubs have remained under the care and protection of the lioness during the crucial initial period.
The birth of the cubs is significant as they belong to the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) species, which is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s ‘Red List’.
The species is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Once widely distributed across parts of Asia and the Middle East, the Asiatic lion now survives in the wild only in and around the Gir landscape in Gujarat, India, Mangamma said.
Compared with African lions, Asiatic lions are slightly smaller and have a distinctive fold of skin running along the belly. They are an important part of India’s natural heritage and are known for their distinctive physical characteristics and social behaviour.
The successful birth of the cubs reflects the zoo’s continued commitment to wildlife conservation, scientific management, animal welfare and the conservation of threatened species, Mangamma said.
(PTI News)
