Social media row over lion cub’s death

The death of a lion cub at Port Lympne sparked a social media row after the park was accused of hiding the truth over how it died.

Last Tuesday, bosses at the animal park near Hythe said the cub had “succumbed to the elements very quickly” after venturing outside the night before.

It came as Kent was hit with a cold snap following days of snowfall, resulting in freezing temperatures.

But nature lovers, who said they were watching a live feed from the park, took to social media to dispute the circumstances surrounding the lion’s death.

They instead claimed the cub was suffocated as five other lions huddled together to stay warm, before being eaten by the pride.

One wrote: “The cub that died was suffocated by five large lion bodies lying together to keep warm. It didn’t wander anywhere.

“This poor little lion cub was also clearly unwell over the last three days - it was constantly panting, had trouble feeding and was listless.

“That cub would be alive if [Port Lympne had intervened].

“This is shocking negligence and these animals need to be removed from their care.”

A statement released by the reserve said the cub left its den during the night, unnoticed by its mother, Oudrika, and that “it later became clear that it had indeed passed away”.

It added that Oudrika and her one remaining cub have been taken to another shelter, “where she is protecting it”.

But another social media user accused Port Lympne of issuing “a spurious statement” and called for a probe into the incident to be launched.

Port Lympne stuck by its original statement when contacted by the Express, although later added that it would “welcome the opportunity” to review the footage, which it does not have, as the livestream is not saved.

A spokesman said: “To the best of our knowledge we believe the cub wandered out and succumbed to the elements, we have no evidence to support other scenarios.”