African lions

Whipsnade Zoo is home to a family of North African lions, including three lion cubs. 

Lion cub updates 

• 4 March 2025 - First health check  

Each cub was vaccinated, sexed, microchipped, and given a health check, and we now know that the 14-week-old trio are two males and one female - two kings and a queen of the savannah! They are already developing strong personalities – the female is feisty and bold, whilst one of the males is a little quieter but can fix you with a good glare!

Winta is taking great care of her cubs, but they need a little extra attention from keepers and vets too – we'll be monitoring one of the males who was found to have a heart murmur very closely.

• 6 February 2025 - First steps outside 

The nine-week-old cubs ventured outside of their indoor den for the first time. They appeared tentative at first, but with a little encouragement from mum Winta, were soon spotted chasing each other and playfighting in their grassy paddock.

• 25 November 2024 - Three lion cubs have been born

A trio of rare Northern African lion cubs have been born, marking a huge conservation success for the vulnerable species. 

Footage captured by our ‘cub cam’ CCTV shows attentive mum Winta being tender with her tiny newborns, carefully cleaning and nuzzling them. Keepers were happy to see the three cubs quickly get the hang of suckling, and the tiny trio have spent their first few weeks mostly eating and snoozing.

Mum is Winta, who arrived at Whipsnade from Antwerp Zoo in Belgium in early May 2023, and dad is Malik who joined us a month later from Neuwied Zoo in Germany. 

Visit our lion pride at Whipsnade Zoo