The litter is the first for 5-year-old mother lion Shera, and the first surviving litter for 4-year-old male Luke. The new batch of cubs is part of an effort to develop a lion pride at the zoo, which has involved many years of planning.

Luke, Shera and her 6-year-old sister Nababiep started spending almost all their time in the yard together as a group six months ago. Shera and Luke bred in the second week of May. Over the past few weeks, the keepers started separating Shera to give her privacy and emulate the natural process.

In the wild, lions may wait up to six weeks before introducing their cubs to the rest of the pride.

Nababiep gave birth to a single cub in May, but it died when a straw seed got lodged in the lung, causing pneumonia.

“Since the unfortunate death of Naba’s cub, we’ve investigated various alternative bedding options,” lion-and-tiger-keeper Rebecca Stites said in a press release Sept. 3. “The use of bedding is imperative as it protects the cubs from trauma during the first fragile weeks of their lives. We’ve provided Shera and her cubs with shavings and soft hay with as few seed as possible.”

Keepers suspect that Nababiep is pregnant again.

The formation of prides makes lions unique among the great cats, many of which are solitary animals. In the wild, African lions are threatened by hunting, disease and habitat loss.

Image: Smithsonian National Zoo

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Authors: Jess McNally

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