Odisha: After 5 days in labour pain, lioness delivers 3 cubs

Groaning under excruciating labour pain for five days, lioness Bijili in Odisha’s Nandankanan Zoological Park delivered three cubs in the early hours on Wednesday.

Unfortunately, one of the cubs was a stillborn. “Lioness Bijili gave birth to three cubs — two live and one stillborn. She first delivered the stillborn at 2.43 am. The second cub was born at 3.12 am and third at 3.38 am on Wednesday,” informed Nandankanan deputy director Sanjeet Kumar.

The two alive cubs are healthy and both the lioness and her babies have been kept under observation, the official said.

Bijili, impregnated by lion Samrat, was suffering from labour pain since July 17. The zoo authorities had kept her under surveillance inside safari for her delivery.

Usually, a lioness gives birth within 104 days of conception. Sources said that the authorities were eagerly waiting for Bijili’s delivery as she had crossed her due date.

Bijili was brought to the

Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar from Indore Zoo in Madhya Pradesh on December 20, 2020 to increase the lion population at the wildlife habitat.

On April 14 this year, Royal Bengal Tigress Megha had given birth to three cubs.

The cubs were fathered by Royal Bengal Tiger Nandan.

On March 28 this year, Nandankanan’s white tigress Bijaya had given birth to three cubs. The tigress had delivered the first child in the morning and the remaining two in the afternoon.

With this, the total tiger population in the zoo rose to 32.

BIJILI WAS brought to the Nandankanan Zoological Park from Indore Zoo in Madhya Pradesh on December 20, 2020.