Adorable quadruplet lion cubs love snuggling up together for a nap in their incubator after being born in China
- The furry siblings were born on China’s National Day on October 1 in Nanjing
- A keeper said that the cute cubs enjoyed sleeping in their shared incubator
- They have been named after the words ‘National Day’ and ‘Mid-autumn Festival’
- Footage shows the cubs snoozing, being bottle-fed and playing with each other
A Chinese zoo has welcomed its latest animal stars after a lioness gave birth to four cubs on the country’s National Day.
The adorable quadruplets love sleeping while snuggling together in their shared incubator, according to a keeper.
The litter, three male and one female, were born last Thursday at the Golden Ox Lake Wild Animal Park in Nanjing in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province.
The adorable quadruplets love sleeping while snuggling together in their shared incubator, according to a keeper. They were born on October 1 at a wild animal park in eastern China
The litter, three male and one female, were the latest animal stars at the Golden Ox Lake zoo
All of the baby lions measured around 20 centimetres (7.9 inches) in length at birth and weighed about 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds), the zoo said in a post, adding that their health was weak initially.
Their mother did not have enough milk, so they were taken to the zoo’s animal nursery to be looked after around the clock.
The zoo said on Sunday that the cubs’ health had improved thanks to the meticulous care provided by its staff, and could meet the public in a few months.
A video clip released by the park through its social media account shows one of the quadruplets being held and stroked by a keeper.
It also captures the heart-melting moment the four tiny animals caught 40 winks in the same incubator – each of them in a different, adorable posture.
A heart-melting video shows the four tiny animals catching 40 winks in the same incubator
‘They love sleeping,’ said Dong Ling, one of the zoo’s workers who was taking care of the four cubs. ‘Normally, they sleep for a while then wake up to eat, and then sleep again,’ she added
One of the zoo’s workers named Dong Ling told Chinese video news site Pear that the cubs were in ‘good spirits’ a day after being born.
She said that it was ‘rare’ to see lion quadruplets because ‘most lionesses give birth to one or two cubs’.
‘They love sleeping,’ Ms Dong added. ‘Normally, they sleep for a while then wake up to eat, and then sleep again.’
The furry siblings were born on October 1, which was China’s National Day as well as the Mid-autumn Festival this year.
They have been named Guo Guo, Qing Qing, Zhong Zhong and Qiu Qiu.
When put together, their names mean ‘National Day’ and ‘Mid-autumn Festival’ – a unique way to celebrate their festive arrival.