This looks like a scene straight out of The Lion King (before it got sad).
In the adorable footage below, lion cub triplets at the Oregon Zoo’s Predators of the Serengeti Habitat were captured playing outside with their dad Zawadi Mungu for the first time.
Video:
When a lioness is pregnant, she goes off alone to give birth in a secluded den. She and the cubs don’t re-enter pride life until they are about 6-8 weeks old. At first, they are afraid to approach any adult other than their mother, but eventually, the cubs gain confidence and start making contact with their pride mates. They’ll initiate play with tolerant adults and other cubs, which is important in learning how to fight.
While lionesses are usually tolerant of cubs, that’s not always the case with male lions. Some might patiently let cubs play on and around them, but other less tolerant males often growl and bat the cubs away.
Either way, male lions in the wild do not take care of their cubs or play any part in the parenting process. However, they do protect the entire pride while the female lions hunt for the pride.
The safety of the pride is essential to the survival of the cubs — especially when it comes to keeping out rival males attempting to usurp the dominant leader’s position. If another male does take control of the pride, he will kill the other lion’s cubs.
