Just days ago, Tobias the lion met his baby for the first time.
The boy cub was born on July 31 at Denver Zoo, US, according to the Denver Post.
Now, thanks to the power of Twitter, we can see the touching moment the month-old, 12lb lion met his dad for the first time.
A 55 second video was posted on the Denver Zoo Facebook account showing the pair’s first encounter.
Check out the video below:
Since his birth, the cub had only spent time with his mother, Neliah, allowing zookeepers to check that she was exhibiting normal nurturing behaviours.
Once everything was deemed okay, the cub was allowed to be introduced to the family.
According to the Denver Post, Andrew Haertzen, a zookeeper who has worked with the cub’s pride at the zoo, said:
This process helps helps him know who his protector is, who is mom is. Moving too quickly can harm his development.
The six-week-old baby still doesn’t have a name, however.
The zoo are are deciding between three names: Meru, a mountain in Tanzania; Moremi, the name of a game reserve in Botswana; and Tatu, the Swahili word for number three, as he is the mum’s third cub.
Do you have a preference? Are you more Meru than Moremi? Well, Denver Zoo aren’t keeping the privilege to themselves; they’ve started a campaign where people can donate $1 to vote for one of the three finalists.
To vote online, visit the zoo’s website to donate and select a name – you can also donate to other areas, such as toys, food, and wellness checks.
Since The Lion King was released 25 years ago, the African lion population has been cut in half. Hollie Colahan, Vice President for Animal Care at the zoo, hopes the birth will raise awareness of their declining numbers.
Colohan told CBS Denver:
These lions really help us tell the important story of what is happening to lions in the wild.
When people start to care, then they want to learn more and do more.
If you’re desperate to catch a glimpse of the cub, you’ll be able to see Neliah and her cub on the TV screens in Pahali Ya Simba in Benson Predator Ridge before his public debut.
It’s just like the Disney classic: life imitates art, after all.
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After graduating from Glasgow Caledonian University with an NCTJ and BCTJ-accredited Multimedia Journalism degree, Cameron ventured into the world of print journalism at The National, while also working as a freelance film journalist on the side, becoming an accredited Rotten Tomatoes critic in the process. He’s now left his Scottish homelands and took up residence at UNILAD as a journalist.