Life With The Lions

On the last day of the month I finally made my February zoo trip and chose Bristol because since my last visit their Asiatic lioness, Shiva, has become a first-time mother at the age of five. She gave birth from 06:13 GMT on Christmas Eve, so they are now 10 weeks old. If anyone wants to draw up a horoscope, this article about their arrival includes a link to a video of her giving birth. The pictures include a digital time display.

The enclosure has been cordoned off so as not to disturb them and this was as close as one could get. I was lucky to see them at all, as they are mostly indoors or hidden from sight amongst the undergrowth. The fact that they were sitting directly in sight of the enclosure frontage suggests that the proud mum was showing off her new family. It is a poor picture and the auto-focus has settled on a nearby branch instead of the animals, but as seeing them was the most memorable event of the visit I felt it was the image to share, despite its technical shortcomings.

Lens: Sigma 70-300mm

Zoo Trip #9
Zoo Trip #8

Alternatives:
Pygmy Hippo
Ring-tailed Lemur
Fur Seal
Pudu
and (couldn't resist adding one more):
Maternal Contentment