Singapore's iconic zoo has welcomed the country's first African lion cub, using assisted reproduction techniques.
Its Wildlife Health and Research Centre teams had earlier set about preserving geriatric lion, Mufasa's genes before he passed.
According to a video on Wildlife Reserves Singapore's Facebook page, the 20-year-old male had not "sired any offspring in his lifetime...[since] his aggressive nature prevented any successful pairing with a female". Technology allowed the circle of line to continue in lioness Kayla, and months on, Simba was born. His name means ‘lion’ in Swahili, a celebration of the cub's heritage.
"When he faced difficulties nursing, his keepers intervened with assisted feeding. At three months, Simba [transitioned] to solid food [and] enjoys playing with enrichment devices," the video showed.