Lion cubs are two males and a female, zoo reveals

The first health check of three lion cubs has revealed that two of them are males and the third is a female.

Staff at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire said 11-week-old cubs were doing well but one of the males had a heart murmur and the other was not walking as expected.

The Northern African triplets were born to lioness Winta and Malik - both three-year-olds - at the attraction on 25 November.

Senior veterinary officer Dr Taina Strike said the cubs' mother, Winta, was doing well and one of the triplets would be "under close veterinary observation for the next few weeks".

Winta was one of two lionesses moved to Whipsnade from Antwerp Zoo in May 2023.

The zoo said scientific studies in 2017 showed that of the two distinct subspecies of African lion - Northern and Southern - Northern lions faced greater threats in the wild and were therefore "in most need of vital conservation attention".

Dr Strike added: "Not only does the health check allow us to assess their progress and boost the immune systems of the young cubs, but every opportunity to examine an animal boosts our veterinary knowledge and expertise, which we can directly apply to animals we and our colleagues around the world are protecting in the wild."

Predators team leader Steve Merrick-White said the siblings were "already developing strong personalities – the female is really feisty and bold, whilst one of the males is a little quieter but can fix you with a good glare".

"These three cubs are important for the conservation breeding programme for their sadly threatened subspecies," he said.

The cubs' vital statistics will be added to Species360, a zoological record-keeping software system used to manage the welfare, health, and population data of animals under human care.