Kentish Express Ashford & District
Lioness shows off her newborn cub
Three new lion cubs have been born at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve, near Hythe, to first time parents Adras and Oudrika.
The trio of cubs are the first to be born at the popular animal park in more than 10 years.
At just over a week old, one of the cubs already made an appearance after proud lioness Oudrika gently carried the baby in her mouth.
After parading in front of her mate Adras she proceeded to clean the cub.
Richard Barnes, animal manager and head of big cat section, said: “We are absolutely delighted to see how well Oudrika and Adras are coping as first-time parents.
“Oudrika is proving to be an excellent mother and is taking great care of the little ones.
“It is still very early days, but it looks as though things are going extremely well.
“Lionesses nurse their cubs in a den and will occasionally bring them out one at a time to show their mate.
“Oudrika is clearly proud of her achievement and it’s great that this has been caught on camera, however at only eight days old the cubs’ eyes aren’t open yet.
“We are looking forward to seeing the cubs venture out for themselves within the next few weeks.”
The team at the animal park are planning to set up ‘Cub Cam’ where fans will be able to follow the progress and development of the cubs on the Reserve’s YouTube channel.
Port Lymne Reserve sits on 600 acres and has a South American, Asian and African safari experience and is home to the largest outdoor dinosaur exhibition in the UK, Dinosaur Forest.