New Delhi: Delhi zoo echoes again with whimpers and mews of three Asiatic lion cubs, born July 7 to the breeding pair Mahagauri and Maheshwar, marking a success in the zoo’s conservation breeding programme for the endangered species.The litter comes after the pair had two cubs on April 27, 2025: a male, Kartik, and a female, Karni. Both cubs were healthy and continue to thrive, underscoring the breeding pair’s consistent reproductive success, zoo officials said.The newborns are currently with their mother in a secure maternity enclosure, a calm and undisturbed environment provided during the critical early stages of development. Their health and growth are being closely monitored through a CCTV surveillance system, officials said.With the birth of the three cubs, National Zoological Park now houses nine Asiatic lions. This includes three adult and sub-adult males—Sundaram, Maheshwar and Kartik—and three females—Mahagauri, Shailja and Karni—along with the three newborn cubs, whose sexes have not yet been determined.The cubs will remain off public display while they receive maternal care and veterinary supervision. Zoo officials said they will continue to monitor the family’s progress before taking any decision on when the cubs can be introduced to visitors.Zoo authorities described the repeated breeding success of Mahagauri and Maheshwar as a significant milestone in the park’s efforts to conserve the endangered Asiatic lion (Panthera leo leo). The programme is aimed at maintaining a genetically healthy captive population and supporting long-term conservation of the species, whose only wild population is found in and around Gujarat’s Gir landscape.
