You don’t have to watch The Lion King to see a cute cub bonding with its lion father. In fact, you just have to go to The Oregon Zoo, apparently!
One video, released by The Oregon Zoo, shows three little cubs going on their first outside adventure with their father. These three girl cubs could not leave their father alone and it is the cutest!
They were all fighting for their father’s attention, even when the father did not want it at times!
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 him since birth, 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 more. Kamili, Zalika, and Angalia are three lion cubs born from Zawadi for this purpose.
They were their mother’s first litter. The three adult lions bonded very quickly after arriving at the Oregon Zoo. Jennifer Davis, a curator from the Oregon Zoo, had made a previous 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.”
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.
If this video is any sign, these three girl cubs are definitely daddy girls!
They are all craving his attention and will not take no as an answer. Zawadi can say goodbye to his lazy sun time when his girl cubs are around. Check out the adorable lion family in the video below. If you would like to learn more about the lions at the Oregon Zoo, click here!
Watch the adorably sweet interaction in the video below.
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