If there is one thing that’s sure to win over the internet, it’s sharing an adorable animal video. Be it a cute little puppy barking at a cucumber or a sweet kitten seeing herself in the mirror for the first time, videos of these tiny creatures are beloved and have a well-earned place on the internet. And this video shared by the Denver Zoo indeed continues in that fine tradition.
The video shared on September 6, 2019, features a lion cub playing in its enclosure. Although the spotlight is clearly on the cute baby lion, the moment shared between him and the daddy lion definitely stole the show. It was the first time that the two generations got to meet, and big lion Tobias’ reaction toward his tiny bean of a son was absolutely heartwarming as the giant lion crouched down to interact with his cub.
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Many on the internet praised this 2-year-old father for his gentleness.
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According to an official at the Denver Zoo, the cub was born on July 25.
“He’s spent the last couple months bonding with his mom (Neliah), dad (Tobias) and half-sister (Kamara) behind the scenes at Predator Ridge at Denver Zoo, and will soon make his big public debut in one of the outdoor habitats,” Jake Kubié, the director of communications revealed. “He’s all the things you might expect of a lion cub: playful, curious and energetic!”
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The video was just one of many “cubdates” that the Denver Zoo posts every other day to give the public the glimpse at their newest lion cub who they’ve yet to name. In fact, the zoo is trying to raise funds for the lions in the zoo as well as in the wild by allowing the public to pick a name.
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The final choices are Moremi, which is the name of a game reserve in Botswana, Meru, which is the name of a mountain in Tanzania, and Tatu, which is the Swahili word for the number three (because the cub is Neliah’s third offspring). You can vote and donate by clicking here.
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“Everyone is extremely excited and anxious to pay him a visit once he makes his public debut,” Jake commented on the public’s response to the adorable cub. “The weekly updates we’ve been posting to our social channels are met with an outpouring of “Ohhs” and “Ahhs.” [and] we’re doing our best to give everyone their cub fix while they wait to see him in person!”
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The video also shows the cub playing with an older female lion, but she isn’t actually his mom, rather his half-sister, the 4-year old Karmara. “She is just the most attentive and affectionate older sister,” Denver Zoo’s Instagram account reported.
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“It’s very important to remember that half of African lions have disappeared in the last 25 years and face growing threats, such as poaching, loss of prey and destruction of habitats in their native ranges” the Denver Zoo representative wanted to stress. “We hope that by seeing our little lion cub, people will be inspired and take action to help protect his wild counterparts and other wildlife around the world,” he added.
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The Denver Zoo runs several initiatives to help fund conservation programs at the zoo, in their community, region, as well as four other countries around the world. Not only do they encourage folks to donate to help their efforts, but they also sponsor educational programs as well as accept volunteer work.
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One of their initiatives is called “Adopt an Animal,” which lets you “adopt” one of the 4,300 animals at the Denver Zoo. Sponsors can also bring home a plush version of their animal! Pretty sweet deal!
You can see the video of their heartwarming meeting below.
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