The Singapore Zoo announced Tuesday, January 26, the birth of a lion cub, Simba, resulting from artificial insemination, which is a first for the city-state in Southeast Asia.
The lion cub, born in October, is "healthy and curious," said Wildlife Reserves Singapore, the island's wildlife park operator.
He grew up with his mother Kayla, but will not know his father, Mufasa, an elderly African lion who died after insemination.
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"Mufasa lived to the advanced age of 20, but did not have cubs during his lifetime, as his aggressive behavior did not allow successful mating with females," said the operator. in a press release.
Births by artificial insemination are still rare for lions.
The first successful procedure of this type resulted in the birth of two lion cubs in 2018 in South Africa.
Wild lions are scarce
The zoo released a video showing the young lion cub - named Simba in reference to the Disney movie "The Lion King" - being bottle-fed and playing ball.
The wild lion population has fallen by more than 40% over the past two decades.
Between 23,000 and 39,000 individuals are still in the wild, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
But the NGO considers the species as "vulnerable".
The lion cub, which is kept with its mother away from visitors for now, has started to eat small pieces of meat, in addition to its milk.
With AFP
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