Four lion cubs die shortly after birth at Shivamogga Zoo

Four lion cubs born at Shivamogga Zoo died within a day of their birth, dealing a setback to the facility’s lion-breeding programme. Sara, a three-year-old lioness, gave birth to two male and two female cubs in the second week of September. She had been brought to the zoo from Indore in September 2025 and paired with Shiva, a male lion.

Zoo keepers had observed the lions mating about three months before the birth. However, staff saw few signs of pregnancy, and Sara mated with the male again. Officials consequently concluded that she was not pregnant and were not expecting a delivery.

Sara gave birth at night in a holding house. Keepers later noticed that she was not nursing the cubs and that they were showing signs of dehydration. Officials also considered her handling of the cubs abnormal, which they attributed partly to her being a first-time mother.

One cub died before staff could separate the litter. The remaining three were removed from the mother and taken to an incubator at the zoo hospital, but the rescue attempt failed and all three died within the day. Officials said the absence of the mother’s first milk was a critical factor.

Colostrum contains antibodies considered essential for newborn cubs. The zoo’s executive director, V.M. Amarakshara, said staff had tried to intervene but could not always save cubs.

Amarakshara said pairing the lions and helping them become comfortable with each other had taken three to four months of planning and execution. Zoo officials said captive breeding of big cats could involve risks, particularly when mothers were inexperienced or stressed. A post-mortem was conducted on one cub to help determine the cause of death.

The zoo is making arrangements to preserve the carcasses of the other three for further study.