THREE lion cubs at West Midlands Safari Park have made their first public appearance, delighting visitors to the venue, writes Tilly Kellaway.
The 12-week old cubs ventured out into the habitat yesterday (Wednesday, July 9).
Nero, Nox and Nancy – all animals born at the park this year have names beginning with ‘N’ – were encouraged by their mum, 12-year-old Amber, as they met the rest of the pride for the first time.
Head keeper of carnivores, Kasha Carter, said Amber needed to check out the surroundings before her cubs came out.
“She then encouraged her cubs to follow her out and all three were fairly confident but kept close to mum.”
Kasha noted that, after spending lots of time near the lion house, they soon started to play with sticks and in the bushes and had their first encounters with butterflies and a passing gull for the first time.
Later on, they then met half-sister Hernatty and pride member Dakota who showed them new areas to explore and things to do in the habitat, such as watching the hooftstock on the other side of the fence line.
The trio of cubs first arrived in April 2025, amidst a baby boom, following the birth of three Sumatran tiger cubs, an Indian rhino calf, two blesbok calves and a barasingha fawn.
Keepers said the birth of the cubs was extremely significant, as lions were currently classed as ‘vulnerable’ in the wild by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature).
This is due to recent studies showing that lions now exist in only 6% of their historic range, demonstrating severe declines from habitat loss and prey depletion, as well as human-lion conflict.
Now the cubs have had their first day out, their next steps will be introducing them to the rest of the pride, starting with the females and then eventually the males, including dad, Tsavo.
The cubs big brothers, Hodge, Havoc and Harabi, can be seen with their half brother Hercules on Lion ridge in the safari walk area of the park.
West Midlands Safari Park is open daily for its summer season and guests can book in advance online for the best prices, which also includes a free return visit.
Visit: wmsp.co.uk for more information and to book.
