Believe it or not, the National Zoo actually has news about some of the non-panda species under its protection. The zoo welcomed two African lion cubs on Friday morning when Nababiep, a ten-year-old lioness, went into labor.
Nababiep delivered three cubs, although the middle one was stillborn, the zoo says. “The first few days of a lion cub’s life are very fragile,” Rebecca Stiles, an animal keeper in the zoo’s Great Cats exhibit, says in a Smithsonian press release. African lions have a mortality rate of about 30 percent in captivity, compared with 67 percent in the wild.
The zoo took little time in switching on two livecamera feeds for animal lovers to gawk at Nababiep and the newborn litter. The lions won’t go back on public display until late spring, but already the cubs can be seen scampering about their den and playing with each other.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
National Zoo Lion Gives Birth to Cubs
The newborn cubs won’t go on display until late spring, but there’s already a lion cam.
Believe it or not, the National Zoo actually has news about some of the non-panda species under its protection. The zoo welcomed two African lion cubs on Friday morning when Nababiep, a ten-year-old lioness, went into labor.
Nababiep delivered three cubs, although the middle one was stillborn, the zoo says. “The first few days of a lion cub’s life are very fragile,” Rebecca Stiles, an animal keeper in the zoo’s Great Cats exhibit, says in a Smithsonian press release. African lions have a mortality rate of about 30 percent in captivity, compared with 67 percent in the wild.
The zoo took little time in switching on two live camera feeds for animal lovers to gawk at Nababiep and the newborn litter. The lions won’t go back on public display until late spring, but already the cubs can be seen scampering about their den and playing with each other.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
What It Felt Like for a Virginia Marching Band to Win Metallica’s Contest
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
What’s IN and OUT in DC Restaurant Trends for 2024
Introducing 8 of DC’s Most Stylish
Washingtonian Magazine
May 2024: Great Getaways
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
13 Major Concerts and Music Festivals in the DC Area This Spring
Mary Timony on Her Emotional New Album, “Untame the Tiger”
The Beatles in DC: A New Exhibit in Maryland Looks Back on Early Beatlemania
Northern Virginia High School Wins Metallica’s Marching Band Competition
More from News & Politics
Former Fiola GM Convicted of Murder Is Now in a Netflix Docuseries
These 5 DC Traffic Cams Are Issuing the Most Tickets Right Now
Farewell to Crystal City Underground, the DC Area’s Strangest Mall
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2024
Inside the Urgent Effort to Preserve Black Newspapers
Maryland Has Renamed an Invasive Fish. Will It Matter?
Meet the 2024 Washington Women in Journalism Award Winners
In the Doghouse: Kristi Noem and 5 Other Canine Political Scandals