Lioness delivers three cubs at Pipli zoo, one dies

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They are under watch, but we believe that this time the chances of their survival are very strong as lioness is taking good care of the cubs

DR ASHOK KHASA, veterinary expert taking case of the cubs

KARNAL: An Asiatic lioness has delivered three male cubs at the Pipli Zoo in Kurukshetra, as per state wildlife authorities.

However, the officials said, one of the cubs died within 48 hours of delivery.

Director of Pipli Zoo, Tejbir Singh, said the lioness Sakshi gave birth to three male cubs on May 17 and one of them died soon after.

He said a team of veterinary doctors is taking case of the cubs and the lioness, who have been kept under close-circuit television cameras (CCTV_ surveillance to ensure survival.

They have been separated from their father Geet, he added. The pair of Gir lions—Sakshi,8, and Geet,10,—were brought to the Pipli zoo from Junagadh in Gujarat in December 2015.

The zoo has remained closed for public since March following the Covid-19 lockdown. Singh said the lioness Sakshi is lactating the cubs which is good for their immunity.

Veterinary expert Dr Ashok

Khasa, who is taking care of the cubs, said, “They are under watch, but we believe that this time the chances of their survival are very strong as Sakshi was taking good care of the cubs.”

According to wildlife experts, unlike tigers, lions live in large groups in natural conditions such as forests and lionesses collectively take care of cubs. However, since it was Sakshi’s fourth consecutive delivery and second in the past two years, experts expected that she would take care of them naturally.

In August, 2018, Sakshi had delivered five cubs of which two had died.