Bhubaneswar: The Nandankanan Zoological Park, on the outskirts of Odisha capital, welcomed new guests after lioness Bijli gave birth to three cubs in the early hours of Wednesday.
The zoo authorities informed that one of the cubs was found to be stillborn.
“After five days of labour pain, Bijili first delivered the stillborn at 2.43 am. The second cub was born at 3.12 am and the third at 3.38 am,” said Nandankanan Deputy Director Sanjeet Kumar.
She was kept under surveillance inside the safari for her delivery, he added.
Notably, Bijli was brought to the zoo from Kamla Nehru Prani Sangrahalaya, Indore, in December last year to increase the lion population at the wildlife habitat and mated with Lion Samrat in April this year.
With this, the number of lions in the zoo has gone up to 18.
