PREVIEW

Three Asiatic lion cubs have taken their first steps outside their den. The 8-week-old cubs, born on 13 March 2024 at London Zoo, appeared tentative at first, looking to mum Arya for reassurance, but were soon spotted skipping around their Indian-inspired habitat, chasing each other and even playing with their mother's tail.

So far, the cubs have spent their time cosied up in their indoor den. The trio's gender will be revealed during their first health check later this month.The three cubs are an important addition to the conservation breeding programme, which safeguards a healthy population of the Critically Endangered species. Surviving only in the Gir Forest in Gujarat, India, the wild population is particularly vulnerable to disease or natural disasters.

Recent population estimates suggest that only 600 to 700 individuals remain in the wild.