Skip To NavSkip To Main Content

Lion Cubs

at Taronga Zoo Sydney

Lion Cubs

at Taronga Zoo Sydney

Pride and joy.

Taronga Zoo Sydney welcomed a litter of five African Lion Cubs for the first time in 18 years! The cubs, who arrived mid-August, are healthy, inquisitive and growing every day.

You can now see mum, Maya, and the five Lion Cubs at Taronga Zoo Sydney's African Savannah exhibit!

Buy tickets now

On this page

Meet the cubs

Our five Lion cubs fill Taronga Zoo Sydney with pride.

The cubs have enjoyed a roaring summer of fun, exploring their world under the watchful eye of a proud mum!  

The five cubs were born to experienced mum Maya and first-time dad Ato in August. They have grown so much over summertime with our girl cubs now weighing in at over 28kg each and each of our boys weighing in over 34kg.  It has been over 18 years since there has been the pitter-patter of lion cub paws at Taronga Zoo Sydney, and the first time there has ever been a full pride in the African Savannah. 

Bring your bubs to see our cubs and watch as they continue to develop their own unique personalities. With so many milestones on the horizon, no two visits will be the same!


When is the best time to see the cubs?

The full Lion pride including mum, Maya, Dad, Ato and five cubs Khari, Luzuko, Malika, Zuri and Ayanna can now be seen altogether in the African Savannah exhibit.

The best time to see them is between 9.30am - 4.30pm.

Watch the lion cam

Can't make it to the Zoo?

You can watch our 24/7 livestream from the African Savannah exhibit at Taronga Zoo Sydney and watch the cubs grow and play with mum, Maya, and dad, Ato.

Tune in to our animal live cams on the Taronga TV webpage.
 

TUNE IN

The five African Lion cubs at Taronga Zoo Sydney explore the African Savannah exhibit.
The five African Lion cubs at Taronga Zoo Sydney explore the African Savannah exhibit.
Mum, Maya, grooms one of her cubs in the African Savannah exhibit.
Mum, Maya, grooms one of her cubs in the African Savannah exhibit.
The five African Lion cubs at Taronga Zoo Sydney explore the African Savannah exhibit.
The five African Lion cubs at Taronga Zoo Sydney explore the African Savannah exhibit.
A lion cub at Taronga Zoo Sydney. Photo: Rick Stevens
A lion cub at Taronga Zoo Sydney. Photo: Rick Stevens
A child comes face-to-face with a lion cub at the African Savannah exhibit at Taronga Zoo Sydney. Photo: Harry Vincent
A child comes face-to-face with a lion cub at the African Savannah exhibit at Taronga Zoo Sydney. Photo: Harry Vincent
Lion cubs at Taronga Zoo Sydney. Photo: Rick Stevens
Lion cubs at Taronga Zoo Sydney. Photo: Rick Stevens

Their birth

The five cubs – three females and two males - were born to experienced mum Maya and first-time dad Ato on Thursday 12 August 2021, which happened to coincide with Ato’s fourth birthday. Both mum and cubs are doing well inside the maternity dens.

NOTE: header image on this webpage features a cub from a previous litter.

View the amazing birth:

Highlight reels

Week 6

Week 5

Week 4

Week 3

Week 2

Week 1

African Lion.
African Lion.

How you can help

Your donation today can make a huge difference.

Lions are the superstars of the Savannah. At the top of the food chain, they play a pivotal and essential role in maintaining the balance across diverse habitats.

Sadly, lions are being poached for bushmeat, body parts and are targets for horrific canned hunting activity. However, the biggest threats to lions comes from shrinking habitats and our biggest challenge is finding new ways to share the landscape.

But there are ways to give humans and lions a shared future and by donating today you can make a huge impact for the future of lions.

Find out more
African Lion.
Lion cubs.
Lion cubs.

Download a wallpaper

To thank you for your support of the cubs at Taronga and critical conservation for lions in the wild, we would love to share with you some beautiful photos taken by our keepers, to use as your screensaver or background wallpaper.

Choose from three photos to download and save!

Find out more
Lion cubs.
Beads for Wildlife.
Beads for Wildlife.

Beads for Wildlife

Purchase your handcrafted beaded lion keyring today and you can help make a difference to Kenya’s people and wildlife, providing local communities with alternate sustainable income revenues.

More
Beads for Wildlife.

We proudly Acknowledge the Cammeraigal (Taronga Zoo, Sydney) and Wiradjuri (Taronga Western Plains Zoo, Dubbo) people, their Country, spirit and traditions as customary owners of the lands upon which our Zoos stand.