Asiatic Lioness Mahagauri Delivered Four Cubs At Delhi Zoo

NEW-DELHI : Five-year-old Asiatic lioness named Mahagauri, delivered four cubs safely yesterday, making it the first successful breeding of the species at the zoo since 2009. The cubs are now placed under the mother’s care and will later be monitored via CCTV cameras, said officials of the zoo.

The breeding was done between the lioness, Mahagauri and the same age lion Maheshwar. The pair was brought from Junagadh, Gujarat to Delhi Zoo in 2021.

The arrival of new cubs is seen as a moment of celebration for the zoo officials due to the number of deaths that occurred in the place lately. According to reports, a Thamin deer, a Gaur calf and an Albino blackbuck lost lives recently due to health complications.

Apart from Mahagauri, five Royal Bengal Tigers born to tigress Siddhi in 2023, among which three were stillborn, is the last delivery happened in the zoo.

The Delhi Zoo was established in 1959 on the recommendation of the The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). The zoo currently contains 95 species of wildlife of both birds and animals. The zoo is set to welcome their 96th specie, smooth-coated Otter next week, as part of an exchange with Surat Zoo, reports reveal.