This is the moment, Tobias the glorious lion father meets his cub for the first time.
Thanks to the power of social media, we can see the touching moment where the month-old, 12-lb cub is meeting his dad for the first time.
Since his birth, the cub only had spent time with his mother, who is called Neliah. This allowed zookeepers to make sure that she was exhibiting normal nurturing, mother-like behaviors.
After everything was given the thumbs up, the adorable cub was introduced to the family.
Zookeeper Andrew Haertzen, who’s worked with the cub’s pride before at the zoo, said: “This process helps him know who his protector is, who his mom is. Moving too quickly can harm his development.”
At the time of filming, the six-week-old cub was yet to have been named.
The zoo was torn between three names: Meru which is a Tanzanian mountain; Moremi, which is the name of a game reserve in Botswana; and finally Tatu, which is the Swahili word for the number three, as he is the mum’s third cub.
The African lion population has been slashed in half in the past 25 years. Vice President for Animal Care at the Denver Zoo, Hollie Colahan, hopes the birth will raise awareness for their dangerously declining numbers:
These lions really help us tell the important story of what is happening to lions in the wild.
When people start to care, then they want to learn more and do more.
