Thiruvananthapuram | For Simba and Suri, life began with a mother who would not care for them. For their parents, Nyla and Leo, life continues in a nearby enclosure, seemingly unaware that their two cubs are now growing into a new life just a few metres away.
For visitors to the Thiruvananthapuram zoo, however, the two lion cubs have arrived as a special Onam gift.
The six-and-a-half-month-old male cub Simba and female cub Suri were released into an exhibition enclosure on Wednesday by Minister for Zoo and Museum O J Janeesh, after being hand-reared by zoo keepers and veterinarians since birth.
With their playful movements and curious faces, the cubs are expected to become a major attraction during the Onam season, giving visitors a chance to watch the young lions at close quarters.
"It has been a hectic journey since their mother, Nyla, rejected them. We had to foster them from the birth for the last six-and-a-half-months. Now they are very healthy," Dr Nikesh Kiran, the zoo veterinarian, told PTI Videos.
Simba and Suri were born to Nyla and Leo, a male lion recently brought to the zoo from Tirupathi Zoo. It was Nyla's third delivery at the Thiruvananthapuram zoo and the first in which zoo authorities were able to save two of the three cubs she gave birth to.
"We think Nyla has a reduced maternal drive now, which is why she rejected the cubs. She also lacked sufficient breast milk," Dr Nikesh said.
Nyla and Leo are housed in an enclosure close to the cubs, while Simba and Suri have begun their new chapter under the care of the zoo staff.
The cubs from Nyla's first two deliveries could not be saved.
"These cubs also would have met the same fate, if we had failed to intervene in time," the doctor said.
For months, caring for the cubs meant feeding them every four hours, six times a day. During their weaning period, the zoo imported specialised milk products from France. The cubs also developed an illness during the period but were treated and have now recovered.
They are currently being fed exclusively with beef.
The cubs are not the only new attraction planned for the zoo this Onam. Two zebras are expected to arrive by Thursday noon, while the authorities are also planning changes to some enclosures.
"This is going to be an Onam gift for the visitors to the Zoo. We are also getting two Zebras that will reach the zoo by Thursday noon," Janeesh said.
The zoo also plans to modify some enclosures with glass panels so visitors can get a better view of the animals.
"We are also planning to bring in some more animals to the zoo as part of the zoo exchange programme," the minister said.
Janeesh said he had seen Simba and Suri when they were first being fostered by the zoo staff.
"That time I had entered the enclosure, but now I cannot enter it because they have grown," he said.
