ISRAEL: Three female lion cubs are presented to journalists at Israel's Safari zoo

Record ID: 396025

  • Title: ISRAEL: Three female lion cubs are presented to journalists at Israel's Safari zoo
  • Date: 23rd February 2010
  • Summary: RAMAT GAN, ISRAEL (FEBRUARY 21, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF LION CUBS LAYING ON GROUND CUB WALKING TOWARDS ZOO KEEPER VARIOUS OF ZOO KEEPER HOLDING CUBS WOMAN WALKING AWAY FROM VEHICLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) DALI BERKOVITCH, ANIMAL TRAINER AT RAMAT GAN SAFARI ZOO, SAYING: "We're here to celebrate the birth female lions, lion cubs. A month a go they were born to mother
  • Embargoed: 10th March 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: Nature / Environment,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA1SLLDNAUTOM8WX8QSFQ9FYXI8
  • Story Text: Three new- born female lion cubs enjoyed the sun on Sunday (February 21) as they explored the outdoors of Israel's Safari zoo.
    The cubs were born in Ramat Gan's Safari Zoo, just outside the coastal city of Tel Aviv about a month ago. Their mother, lioness Sorani, had in the past neglected her new-born who later died.
    Animal trainer Dali Berkovitch said that the births are reason for celebration.
    "We're here to celebrate the birth female lions, lion cubs. A month a go they were born to mother Sorani - it's her first successful birth," Berkovitch said with a smile.
    Berkovitch explained that in the past, the zoo boasted some fifty lions but Sorani's previous failure to care for her young had caused a decline in the zoo's lion population. In addition, there was imbalance between the male-female ratio. Berkovitch said that this recent birth of females could boost the current population of nine lions anywhere from fifteen to twenty lions in the next few years.
    "We're very very happy that we have three little females. As you know in the wild the group usually has a lot of females a few males and over here we have nine lions, five of them males. So we're really hoping to have more females around kind of make the group a little bit bigger," she added.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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