This story originally appeared at Shareably.
Lions are majestic creatures but the males are fiercely competitive. That means when a new baby is born, if it’s a male, it can immediately be seen as a potential threat to others in the pride. (Remember The Lion King?)
It’s difficult for us to imagine, especially when we see a tiny lion cub. Naturally, they’re not something a human should ever approach without expertise AND protection, but they do look pretty cuddly.
This cutie was born on July 25, 2019, at the Denver Zoo.
Cub life
We’re not big fans of animals in captivity, but the truth is that habitat destruction, climate change, poaching, and other threats make it nearly impossible for some species to survive. Zoos often do good work to preserve them (though you may disagree with how it’s done or how unnatural their surroundings look).
But it appears the cub fans outweigh the disinterested because the cub cam the zoo set up became wildly popular. People were eager to check in on the little guy and see what he was up to.
Of course, most of what he was up to was hanging out with his mom, aunt, and sister.
Naming the little one was also up to fans. The zoo held an online vote to allow the public to choose the cub’s name – the options were Meru, Moremi, and Tatu.
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To vote, individuals had to make a donation – and the $12,000 they raised went to the Lion Recovery Fund as well towards caring for the care for animals at the zoo.
His name, Tatu, was revealed in October. “Tatu” is the Swahili word for the number three. Tatu is Neliah’s third cub.
The big meet
The zoo showed the sweet first meeting between baby Tatu and his father Tobias in a sweet video. It was one of many “cubdates” they posted to social media to keep folks interested until Tatu’s big public debut.
But there’s a reason meeting dad wasn’t a straightforward experience.
Not all males are gentle around their cubs. For zookeepers, introducing a new member of the pride can be an anxious experience. In fact, in the wild, males sometimes kill cubs in order to preserve their own genetic line. Of course, that’s not common with their own cubs (since they share genes) – but there’s a moment when a father meets his cub that he has to realize it IS his own.
The nail-biter moment for viewers
No one wants to witness a case of mistaken identity on the cubcam!
But there’s no need to worry. Not only did Tobias immediately recognize Tatu as his own, but the proud father almost moved us to tears with his reaction.
He is just as enchanted by the adorable baby as the rest of us are! And, of course, everyone was elated that the encounter was a flawless moment.
After that, he had a little more time before meeting his devoted fans.
“For the past few months, he has been forming bonds with his mother (Neliah), father (Tobias), and half-sister (Kamara) behind the scenes at Predator Ridge at Denver Zoo, and will soon make his grand public debut in one of the outdoor habitats,” shared Jake Kubié, the director of communications at Denver Zoo, with Bored Panda. “He possesses all the qualities you would expect from a lion cub: playful, inquisitive, and full of energy!”
The significance of a cub’s life
You might be similar to us and still find it unjust that these incredible animals have to grow up in an urban environment.
However, the reality is, you can hold onto that sentiment while also acknowledging its necessity. In fact, we wouldn’t have a significant number of them if we didn’t breed them in captivity.
Photo: Pixabay
“It’s crucial to remember that half of the African lion population has disappeared in the past 25 years and faces increasing threats, such as poaching, decline in prey availability, and habitat destruction in their natural habitats,” stated a representative from Denver Zoo. “We hope that by seeing our little lion cub, people will be motivated to take action and help safeguard his wild counterparts and other wildlife across the globe.”
