Lioness Rupa has given birth to three healthy cubs during her third pregnancy, a major success for the Asiatic Lion Breeding Centre at Etawah Lion Safari Park, officials here said Monday.
The birth took place in the early hours of Monday, and both the mother and the cubs are said to be in good health, they added.
Anil Kumar Patel, Director of Etawah Lion Safari Park and the Asiatic Lion Breeding Centre, said, "Lioness Rupa gave birth to her first cub at 12:35 am, the second at 1:42 am, and the third at 5:59 am on the night of April 20-21. All three cubs and the mother are healthy, and Rupa is actively nursing and caring for them." Rupa was born on June 26, 2019, and this marks her third delivery. She was mated with lion Kanha on January 5 this year, and the expected delivery window was between April 17 and 22.
"We were prepared for the delivery, and as anticipated, Rupa delivered the cubs during this timeframe," Patel added.
The safari administration is closely monitoring the mother and her cubs through CCTV surveillance. The cubs have started to make efforts to feed on the mother's milk, officials said.
Deputy Director AK Singh said that Rupa previously gave birth to her first cub on September 3, 2023, but did not nurse the baby. "That cub had to be hand-fed and cared for by safari veterinarians and keepers. It is now about one-and-a-half years old and healthy," he said.
Mr Singh also highlighted the success of the breeding programme, noting the legacy of Rupa's mother, lioness Jessica, who gave birth to several cubs between 2016 and 2020, including Simba, Sultan, Bahubali, Bharat, Rupa, Sona, Gargi, and Neerja.
Additionally, lioness Jennifer, brought to Etawah from Gujarat in 2020, gave birth to two male cubs - Kesari in 2020 and Vishwa in 2022. In March 2025, lioness Neerja gave birth to three cubs who are now over a month old, he said.
With Rupa's latest litter, the total number of cubs born at Etawah Lion Safari Park has reached 16, out of which nine belong to the second generation.
"At present, the park houses 21 lions, including 16 born within the safari," Mr Singh said, adding, "This demonstrates the continued success of the Asiatic Lion Breeding Centre at Etawah." Dr Rouvin Singh and Dr Shailendra Singh, deputy chief veterinary officers at the safari, added that the health and behaviour of Rupa and her newborns are being closely observed through CCTV.
The lioness and her cubs are under continuous monitoring and are in perfect health, Dr Shailendra Singh added.
Reacting to the development, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in a post on X in Hindi, said, "There is good news from Etawah Lion Safari that lioness Rupa has given birth to three healthy cubs. Hope the dedicated staff will take good care of them. Congratulations to all!" "The dream of Etawah Lion Safari that we had fulfilled is now flourishing and the family has now reached the auspicious number of 21. We wish it infinite good luck for its continued growth!" he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
