A trio of playful lion cubs at the Oregon Zoo has been giving their dad, Zawadi, a hard time, as shown in a recent video.
While the cubs are eager to play with their father, Zawadi, who towers over them, seems more interested in relaxation.
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In the video, the young cubs rush to their father, who seems taken aback by their energy. Laura Weiner, the lead Africa keeper at the zoo, explained, “We were confident that Zawadi would be tolerant of his cubs right away, and we’re glad we were right because the cubs rushed him as soon as they saw him.”
Despite his initial surprise, Zawadi quickly adjusted to the attention of his cubs and even started grooming them. However, it wasn’t all fun and games for the adult lion.
The cubs’ mother, Neka, and the pride’s other female, Kya, were nearby, and within minutes, Zawadi found himself surrounded by five female lions, leading him to climb onto a boulder to get some space.
The video shows Zawadi on top of the boulder as the cubs pester him, jumping on him, and biting his mane.
One cub climbs onto his back at one point, forcing the father lion to navigate to a different spot to escape the relentless play.
Fortunately, no one was injured during these interactions, and the cubs, now ten times their birth weight, seem to have taken to the outdoors enthusiastically.
Weiner noted that one of the cubs, Zalika, is incredibly playful with her dad, jumping on him at every opportunity.
Zawadi’s reaction is ambiguous—at times, he appears to be yawning, while other times, he bares his teeth, suggesting he might be irritated.
Nevertheless, the pride continues to spend time outdoors, enjoying shared meals and family bonding.
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