When you think of a lion bonding with their kid, you probably picture The Lion King! It turns out, this kind of lion-kid bonding happens in real life too. For the perfect example of that, check out this sweet video from the Oregon Zoo.
This video shows three female lion cubs meeting their father for the first time. And most adorably, they spent the whole time fighting for his attention.
Kamali, Zalika, and Angalia were six months old when they went on their first outside adventure with their father, Zawadi Mungu.
Their mother, Neka, comes to check on the cubs once in the video but mostly leaves the four alone for some bonding time.
Neka has been with the cubs since birth, and she was taking a much-needed break!
Laura Weiner, Oregon Zoo’s lead Africa Keeper stated, “We were confident that Zawadi would be tolerant of his cubs right away, and we’re glad we were right because the cubs rushed him as soon as they saw him … I think all of that attention must have been overwhelming because he quickly jumped onto a boulder.”
Zawadi jumping away onto that boulder did not stop his three cubs.
They all made their way onto the boulder and kept trying to get their father’s attention! Zawadi tries to bare his teeth multiple times but that does not scare any of them away for too long. When one cub backs away, another goes in to get their father’s attention!
Zawadi and Neka, along with another female lion named Kya, were brought to the Oregon Zoo for the purpose of cooperative breeding.
The lions bonded very quickly after arriving at the Oregon Zoo. Jennifer Davis, a curator from the Oregon Zoo, made a statement about the three lions after their arrival.
“They’re all around the same age,” Davis said. “That made it easier for them to bond and become a unified pride. We’re happy there was a strong connection between Neka and Zawadi.”
Neda and Zawadi ended up getting along well, and soon, Neda was pregnant with her first litter.
Kamali, Zalika, and Angalia were their mother’s first litter.
Neka and Zawadi have now turned into proud parents. The lion cubs have had very individual and distinct personalities from a young age, so they were given names to match their personalities.
Angalia has always been a feisty cub, so she was named after the Swahili word for “look out.” All the workers knew they would have to look out for her!
Zalika is the Swahili word for “well-born” and was given her name to reference her father.
Kamali is the smallest cub and had health issues following her birth. So, she was given the name Kamali, which comes from the Shona people in Zimbabwe and surrounding nations, which is to indicate a spirit that protects babies.
This video makes it clear that three little cubs are all daddy’s girls! They all wanted his attention and wouldn’t say no for an answer, which made for one adorable video.
If you’d like to see the video of the three cubs and their dad, check it out below!
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