Papa Lion Kneels Down Low To Get A Good First Look At His Newborn Cub

Mar 28, 2023 by apost team

While lions are majestic and proud creatures, it can sometimes be difficult to remember that these dangerous predators can be caring parents as well. At the Denver Zoo, a father lion got the chance to meet his cub for the very first time, and the precious moment was captured on film for everyone to enjoy. The results are just as cute as you might imagine and showed that even the most ferocious of creatures could turn into nothing but a puddle of emotions at the sight of their tiny tot.

The Denver Zoo shared the adorable video on its Facebook page at the very beginning of September 2019. Since then, the clip has racked up an astounding 3.9 million views! 

The video showed a young lion cub named Tatu playing in his enclosure at the zoo. Tatu was born on July 25, 2019, to his lioness mother, Neliah, as part of The Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan (SSP) program. The program is aimed at maintaining the population and genetic diversity of endangered animals. According to Denver Zoo, the Lion SSP began in 1993 in response to the decreasing lion population, which has seen almost half its numbers in the wild wiped out in the past 25 years. The program has seen tremendous success, one of them being the birth of Tatu, who won hearts the world over with his precocious and adorable ways.

In the clip, Tatu could be seen doing cute baby lion things, such as biting his own paw, rolling on a box and wobbling around on the enclosure’s various playthings. Also seen in the video was calm lion momma Neliah, watching over her young son. However, it was the entrance of Tatu’s father, Tobias, and their first interaction together that stole the show.

In the video, Tatu was curled up on the ground as his father, 2-year-old Tobias, stood before him. It wasn’t long before Tobias couldn’t help but take a closer look at his precious young son. With his huge paws in front of him, barely an inch from Tatu, Tobias knelt down as low as he could. His paws scratched the ground in a way that almost signaled the dad’s inability to withstand the cuteness in front of his face. Despite towering over him and looking like a giant in comparison, little Tatu reached out one little paw to touch his dad’s.

Tobias wasn’t the only family member Tatu met that day. He was also introduced to his older 4-year-old half-sister, Kamara. According to the Denver Zoo, Tatu and his mother, 7-year-old Neliah, were kept separate from the rest of the pride at the zoo for the first few months after his birth to allow them to bond. Since his birth, the zoo has captured beautiful moments from Tatu’s journey and shared them on Facebook to the delight of the young cub’s fans.

The Denver Zoo told Bored Panda that they hope that their video will inspire the public to help organizations around the world that are dedicated to the preservation of endangered wildlife. 

Tatu has since been moved from Denver Zoo to another institution after he was pushed out of the family pride by his father in 2022. Alongside magnificent photos of an older Tatu, the zoo shared on Instagram:

“It’s been our pleasure to watch these loveable lions grow up and provide them top-notch care while they lived at Denver Zoo. We're not lion when we say that we'll miss these two, but we're so excited for their next chapters.”

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Did this wonderful father-son interaction warm your heart? If so, pass this on to others so they can enjoy the sweet moment as well!