• Submitted by: manso
• Society
• 08 / 31 / 2011

---

2011.08.30 - 14:33:16 /radiorebelde.icrt.cu.HAVANA, CUBA.-  Cuba has been ratified in Latin America as the holder of the highest number of lions born in captivity (37), with the birth of four cubs at the Cuban National Zoo, reports the Granma newspaper.    

The new lions, a female and three males, were born as a result of natural labor last Saturday in the facilities of that institution, which covers about 350 hectares of land in the outskirts of Havana. 

A specialist from the zoo, Angel Cordero, explained that the cubs and the lioness are kept under observation by a team of vets and technicians though they show good health conditions. 

Cordero added that last August 27 through 28, another lioness gave birth to nine cubs, but they didn’t make it, probably due to the amount of baby lions (each lioness gives birth to no more than four cubs), which prevented the mother from feeding them all properly. 

The Cuban National Zoo also breeds in captivity endangered and protected species like the white rhinoceros; the Siberian, Bengal, and Sumatra tiger; the American bison; and the striped hyena. 

Giraffes, jaguars, chimpanzees, hippopotamus, and zebras are also born in this institution, with almost three decades of experience. 

This facility shelters more than 700 animals, whose life styles allowed them to remain free from bars, and the closest from their original habitats.  (ACN)