Edinburgh Zoo has welcomed two "beautiful" lion cubs, which mark the endangered species’ first new arrivals at the attraction in seven years.
On Thursday, keepers confirmed that 15-year-old Jayendra, known as "Jay", and 10-year-old Bindee had welcomed the unnamed Asiatic lion newborns on 11 October.
Bindee and her offspring are currently being kept away from public view while staff at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) monitor their development.
The births were witnessed via live enclosure cameras by keepers, who initially noticed Bindee was pregnant as her stomach expanded and she was moving slower than usual. She subsequently displayed further behavioural indicators of pregnancy in lions, such as pacing and altering her den.
The mother and her cubs will remain out of public sight until further notice.
According to RZSS, there are only around 350 Asiatic lions left in the wild, and they are only found in the Gir Forest National Park in Gujarat, India.
The last time such cubs were born at the zoo was in 2019, when female Mitaali and males Keshari and Kushanu were birthed on site.
RZSS animal team leader Alison MacLean said: “We are so proud of Bindee and Jay and absolutely thrilled with the beautiful new arrivals. Mum is happily bonding with the little cubs while Jay is his usual chilled-out self.
“We suspected Bindee was pregnant for a little while, especially after she has been getting on so well with Jay this summer.
“There was a mix of nerves and excitement as we waited to see if our suspicions were right.
“To finally have the cubs arrive and see everything going so well is brilliant.”
The new arrivals come after a two-toed sloth emerged at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo on Monday, 11 May.
He will spend the first six months of his life gripping tightly onto the stomach of his mother, Feira, who is a first-time parent, as is his father, Nico.
Keepers named the baby Atty in honour of Sir David Attenborough, who celebrated his 100th birthday on 8 May.
It is a nod to the moment Sir David chose the sloth when asked which animal he would like to be for a day in a BBC interview in 2017.
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