Asiatic lion: Three endangered cubs born at London Zoo
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Three endangered lion cubs born at London Zoo
Three rare Asiatic lion cubs have been born at London Zoo.
The new arrivals are a huge boost for conservation efforts, as there are only thought to be between 600 to 700 of the species remaining in the wild.
Keepers say all three are getting stronger every day and they're delighted with their progress.
The zoo added that the three newborns are yet to be named and that they'll be able to find out the gender of the cubs in the next few weeks.
What's happened?
The three cubs arrived last month on 13 March and the zoo said that their mother, seven-year-old Arya is proving to be a great mum to her new litter.
Since their birth, zookeepers have been observing the three-week-old siblings' milestones from a hidden camera in their den - including watching them take their first steps.
The zoo added that the young lions are yet to be named and keepers will be able to find out the gender of the cubs after their first vet check, when they are 10 to 11 weeks old.
1. They're really very lazy - They may be pretty tough and scary when they're awake, but that actually isn't very often.
Lions love nothing more than a good snooze, sleeping for up to 20 hours a day!
2. They're all about girl power - When it comes to lions, females are really important.
Lionesses do nearly all of the hunting, bringing food back for the entire pride.
3. They don't have great table manners - Despite their huge teeth, lions don't actually chew their food.
Instead, they swallow it in huge chunks, using just one side of their mouth.
4. They're not exactly quiet! - A lion can't actually roar until it is two years old.
But when it does, it's so loud you can hear it five miles away.
5. They don't like porcupines - They may not be very big, but porcupines are surprisingly a lion's biggest enemy.
Tricked into sniffing the little animal, unlucky lions can end up with one of the porcupine's spikes stuck inside them.
London Zoo's head big cat keeper Kathryn Sanders said: "We are over the moon to be able to share the amazing news that we've had three endangered Asiatic lion cubs born at London Zoo.
She added: "We expect that the three-week-old cubs will likely stay inside with mum for a little while yet, although as the weather gets warmer, we might see them venturing outside soon."
Asiatic lions are considered endangered as they can now only be found living in the wild in India's Gir Forest.