New Delhi: The National Zoological Park in Delhi has recorded a significant achievement in its wildlife conservation efforts after a five-year-old Asiatic lioness, Mahagauri, gave birth to three healthy cubs. The birth represents a rare repeat breeding success for the facility, as Mahagauri has managed to conceive and successfully deliver for the second time in approximately 15 months, a phenomenon not seen at the capital’s zoo in nearly two decades.
The three newborns were born to the zoo’s primary breeding pair, Mahagauri and Maheshwar, who previously made headlines by producing a litter of five cubs in April last year, out of which two survived. According to National Zoological Park Director Sanjeet Kumar, the newborn cubs have been placed alongside their mother inside a heavily secured maternity enclosure. To facilitate their initial growth and limit external stress, animal care specialists and resident veterinarians are keeping a round-the-clock vigil on the family exclusively through CCTV surveillance.
The successful expansion of the pride marks a major turnaround for the Delhi zoo’s Asiatic lion breeding initiative, which had suffered an extended period of decline after 2009. By 2021, the facility was left with just a single, ageing male lion named Sundaram. To salvage the programme, authorities arranged for a fresh breeding stock consisting of Maheshwar, Mahagauri, and another female named Shailja from Junagadh, Gujarat. While Shailja unfortunately suffered a debilitating limb injury that left her unfit for breeding, Mahagauri and Maheshwar have successfully revitalised the zoo’s population, which previously stood at six individuals.
