Bhubaneswar: Lioness Bijli Wednesday gave birth to three cubs at the Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, zoo authorities said.
According to an official of the zoo, Bijli gave birth to three cubs, of which two were alive and one was stillborn.
The lioness first delivered the stillborn at around 2.43am. The second cub was born at around 3.12am and the third one at around 3.38am, Nandankanan deputy director Sanjeet Kumar said.
Both the cubs that are alive are said to be healthy and out of danger. The lioness including her cubs have been kept under observation for the next 72 hours as it is considered crucial for the big cat family, the deputy director added.
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It is pertinent to mention, Bijli had been undergoing labour pain for the last five days. The lioness was kept under surveillance inside the safari. The big cat was brought to Nandankanan from Indore Zoo in Madhya Pradesh December 20, 2020 to add to the lion population in the zoo. She was kept with her male companion Samrat there.
PNN