New West African lion cubs offer hope that species can thrive again

New footage has revealed that a West African lion has given birth to cubs, giving experts renewed hope that the critically endangered species can beat extinction.

The videos, taken with camera traps in February at the Niokolo-Koba national park in Senegal, shows mother lion Florence tending to her three cubs, The Guardian reported.

In one particularly humorous moment, the two males and one female cub take turns irritating their mother by climbing her hind legs.

The cubs are a major victory for Niokolo-Koba, which is home to just 29 west African lions, the outlet said.

Though they can be confused for their southern relatives, the west African lion, or Panthera leo, is more genetically similar to the Asiatic species in India, The Guardian said. The big cats are also critically endangered, as poaching and habitat loss has reduced their range to bits of Nigeria, Benin, Niger, and Burkina Faso.

There are as few as 121 to 374 of the animals in the wild, according to a report fromThe International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

Conservationists at Niokolo-Koba initially feared Florence, who previously gave birth to two other litters, had been poached after her GPS collar stopped working, The Guardian said. They were subsequently relieved to see she was caring for her new cubs in a dense part of the forest.

Experts believe the park could support up to 200 west African lions, and hope to cultivate a population of 50 by 2025 and 100 by 230. Niokolo-Koba is also home to wild dogs, spotted hyenas, western giant eland, and western hartebeests. 

The camera traps that captured Florence and her cubs also alerted park workers to another lion injured by porcupine quills, which can be fatal. The injuries were subsequently tended to, and the lion is now the picture of health.

The dwindling global lion population remains a chief concern for conservationists. Once populating areas from the High Atlas mountains through the Middle East, there are now only about 25,000 lions worldwide, The Guardian reported.

In addition to being threatened by poaching and land development, the animals are often victims of major world events and disasters. Last fall, for example, a New York metal mogul coughed up $50,000 to rescue four lion cubs from war-torn Ukraine.