Rarity at zoo: Cubs born to lioness twice in six months
KANPUR: It was a happy moment for the staff at the Kanpur zoo when a six-year-old Asiatic lioness Nandini gave birth to two more cubs within a period of six months in Kanpur Zoological Park (ZOO). The first cub was born to her on April 7 this year.
The cubs were born at 4 pm and 7.24 pm on Monday but the zoo authorities did not declare their birth as they were waiting for more number of cubs.
“The cubs are hale and hearty but they are underweight. We cannot weigh them till they are with their mother but through CCTV camera we could make out that the cubs are underweight,” said the senior zoo veterinarian Dr RK Singh.
Dr Singh said ordinarily female belonging to Pantheraleo –presica family can give birth to another cub after one and a half or two years after the delivery. Normally, the gestation period is 105 to 115 days. But in Nandini’s case she became pregnant and delivered two cubs within 110 days because she did not fed her first cub, he added.
He said the lioness generally enters into fresh menstruation cycle after eighteen months or two years when the cub could eat properly. Since Nandini did not feed her first cub Sundari. Hence she restored the menstruation cycle soon after her birth and hence became pregnant in a shorter period.
“This time Nandini allowed suckling to the cubs. Her first cub Sundari was separated from her and was hand reared,” Dr Singh said.
The seven years lion Ajai and the six years lioness Nandani were brought from Raipur Zoo on December 11 2016 he added.