Watch: lion cubs' first glimpse of the outdoors at Whipsnade Zoo

The youngsters are now strong enough to spend time in their paddock - under the watchful eye of their mum, Waka.

The cubs, born to five-year-old Waka and four-year-old dad Malik in June, have spent their first weeks tucked away in their cosy den. Now bigger, stronger and increasingly curious, they have begun to investigate their outdoor home, with Waka never far away.

Sarah Mcgregor, Predators Section Manager, said: “It’s been wonderful to see these five little cubs grow in confidence over the last few weeks. They’re now at the age where they are very curious and they’re keen to investigate everything around them.”

Whipsnade Zoo’s veterinary experts carried out the cubs’ first health check when they were eight weeks old, confirming the new litter is made up of three boys and two girls. The litter has been given names inspired by Disney’s The Lion King. The three boys have been named Mufasa, Pumbaa and Rafiki while the two girls are Sarabi and Shenzi.

Three quarters of African lion populations are declining in the wild, driven by large-scale habitat conversion for logging, livestock farming and housing, the loss of prey through unsustainable hunting and human-wildlife conflict. The Northern lion, only officially recognised as a sub-species in 2017, is among those most urgently in need of conservation attention.

The five cubs are the third litter of Northern African lions to be born at the Bedfordshire zoo in less than two years, where they play an important role in the international conservation breeding programme to help safeguard these rare big cats. Whipsnade Zoo is a ZSL (Zoological Society of London) conservation zoo, which aims to protect and restore wildlife. The cubs’ arrival comes at a significant time for ZSL, as the charity celebrates its 200th anniversary year.

Whipsnade Zoo will light up its iconic chalk White Lion in a spectacular event on Wednesday September 23, marking the bicentenary of the ZSL and shining a light on one of Bedfordshire’s most recognisable landmarks. From 30 September, the White Lion will then be illuminated every Wednesday at dusk until the end of 2026.