The workers at the zoo in Sancti Spiritus, who closely follow the development of Jorgito, a lion born on May 6, reported that the cub has gained weight in recent days, but is not yet on display to the public.
Taimí Mencía Venegas, the zoo director, declared to the state-run Radio Sancti Spíritus that the birth of Jorgito is an "achievement" because it is synonymous with the good nutrition that the animals at the facility receive.
The veterinary also pointed out that for over 10 years, there had not been a successful lion breeding at this zoo, a facility that in February was the focus of criticism due to the situation in which the animals were found, many of them surviving in empty ponds due to lack of water.
"It is not yet on public display," highlighted Mencía, mentioning that the offspring has good vitality and weight gain.
"We cannot touch her too much, or handle her roughly," said the director emphasizing that Mily, the mother lion, has the instinct to protect her cub.
Furthermore, he explained that Jorgito could be attacked if he had strange odors, such as perfume.
Mencía reported that the lioness gave birth during the night, and when they arrived in the morning, they encountered the surprise. The last lion cub born in the zoo was Jorgito's father, over a decade ago.
The lioness gave birth to two cubs; however, only one was able to survive, and it is now receiving all the care.
The mother of the cub is the lioness Mily, who had already made headlines in 2019 after undergoing surgery to remove a bullet from her right jaw, as reported by the Escambray newspaper.
The lioness had been injured by the Cuban police to save a young worker from the El Bosque cafeteria, who used to play with her.
On that occasion, he was drunk, pointed out the zoo director.
But the fate of all the animals that are caged in this type of institution in Cuba is not the same.
The specimens at the Bartolomé Masó Zoo Park in Manzanillo, Granma province, are victims of lack of food and are showing a critical state of extreme malnutrition and weakness.
A report by the independent newspaper 14ymedio revealed the calamitous conditions in which the lions, iguanas, monkeys, and other animals in the zoo find themselves, victims of the shortage of suitable food for their respective diets, due to the acute economic crisis affecting Cuba, which has a more severe impact on food supplies, both for the population and the animals.
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