Young lioness with her 3 weeks old cubs.

I was a volunteer in 2012 in a South African refuge, and one of the animal we were taking care of was a female lioness, Sheeba. I arrived a few days after she had her cubs.
This very young lioness who just had a "surprise" litter (she wasn't supposed to be sexually mature yet) of 3 young lions (1 male and 2 female).
At the time this video was taken, the cubs were 3 weeks old.
If you're wondering why these animals are caged it is because the male Lion in the pride could easily kill the cubs. It's a natural defense of the Lions to protect their genes and eliminate competition when there's multiple males in the pride.
Taken at Glen Afric farm in South Africa during a Volunteer Southern Africa program.

[@persephonealmana2631]

OMG for a young lioness who gave birth to three cubs, she is a good mommy and the cubs are so adorable!

[@jamespurks1694]

So precious. Mum loves her cubs and they love their mum.

[@midorigreen7244]

I love how the mama is holding herself, you can tell she's so happy and proud ❤

[@beachbunny8021]

I love lions so much!!! Omg absolutely the most CUTEST CUBS IVE EVER SEEN!! LOOK AT THE TINY PRECIOUS BABY BREATHING, LITTLE HEART PUMPING!!

[@stevenparker525]

Awe that is sooo sweet. Little fur babies and just look at mommy she's gorgeous see bless them.

[@jazzymoni7750]

Mama is so young. She still has her spots and a pink nose. Precious.

[@RohitYadav-hg7mq]

Jazzy Moni love to

[@user-yb5fn9sn5j]

@@RohitYadav-hg7mq 🐭 なな佐奈は!

[@KatherineUribe-1]

She's a great mother, despite being so young. Her cubs are the picture of health; fluffy, chubby little things. Adorable!

[@abetassew3805]

yea kathrine. isnt those fluffy thing become one day so powerful. can crush with one bite.

[@KatherineUribe-1]

+Abe tassew Incredible, isn't it?! In 2 years, they go from helpless balls of fluff to competent apex predators. That's a steep learning curve!

[@MrTalbtaha]

Abe tassew at least they didnt crush their species like human

[@jamespurks1694]

Such a precious lioness and her beautiful cubs! 😸😺😺😸

[@Marlene-Ferreira]

LIONS BELONG IN THE WILD -THEY ARE NOT PETS TO LIVE IN A CAGE - DISGUSTING

[@DanielSadjadian]

Lions are so beautiful!

[@pavocavar6356]

Daniel Sadjadian u

[@charminglioness8464]

Yes,they are.Beautiful and majestic animals.All big cats are beautiful but lions are my most favorite ones.And the lion cubs are the cutest cubs i have ever seen.

[@deniseyoung4494]

my....what a gorgeous lioness and the cubs are beyond adorable.

[@olyviajazzmyne7633]

the love of a mother for her child

[@angelakivlehen1417]

Beautiful mom Adorable cubs

[@melanieescude8384]

The lioness looks sad :( this cage is really tiny

[@RedzillaGOTM]

Melanie Escude It’s just a temporary cage, when the cubs are old enough, the mother will let them out of safety to meet the pride.

[@whitexchina]

Looks loke a road side zoo

[@ALBERTFAN456]

@@RedzillaGOTM yeah theres probs Male Lions Near Her So The female dosent want the cubs near the others

[@meoshaarnold9497]

The cage looks very small I pray she is happy and doing well her and her babies!

[@coloxus69]

@@meoshaarnold9497 yeah

[@KatherineUribe-1]

Female lions separate themselves and give birth in a secluded place, away from the pride. When the cubs are 6-8 weeks old, the mother will introduce them to the pride. Only outside males that are taking over a pride will kill cubs not of their bloodline. It is a common practice when keeping captive lions to separate a mother and cubs, mimicking natural behaviors. Cubs are born blind, only weighing a couple of pounds, open their eyes at about a week, don't walk until 3 weeks; they're very small and vulnerable, so the mother hides them until they're robust enough to interact with the pride. Still, lion cubs have a very high mortality rate. Pride living is fierce.

[@elizabethparrish2700]

But lionesses still leave the cubs for up to 2 hrs sometimes, almost daily, to hunt and eat with the pride. She looks sad cause shes prob not allowed to leave the cubs at all, which is what her deep rooted instincts are telling her to do. Lions should never be held in captivity in my opinion. People just dont understand them as well as they should be understood, and that lonliness and depression of the animal can lead to stressing her out which can lead to death faster then pride life

[@pbeacchannel9748]

Elizabeth Parrish READ THE FREAKING DESCRIPTION I ALREADY HAD TO TELL SOMEONE THAT NOW I HAVE TO TELL YOU

[@elizabethparrish2700]

Yeah what does that have to do with my statement? 3 week old cubs, yes the moms leave them to hunt with the pride when they are just days old. How do you think they make milk? They have to eat and hunt to eat. And they hunt and eat with the pride every few days. Leavi,g the younger than that cubs alone for sometimes up to 4 or 5 hrs at a time. My comment isn't cause for you to be a class a douche bag 👌go be rude to some one who gives a shot about your shitty day and life.

[@Maxibaluco]

@@elizabethparrish2700 they even leave them for a whole night

[@Maxibaluco]

It has been documented that sometimes youngsters or even other lionesses of the pride kill accidentally another lioness offspring because they are waaay to fragile

[@beachbunny8021]

Absolutely adorable and precious!!!

[@samimotaghedi]

beautiful lioness and cubs!

[@xneapolisx]

Lionesses are awesome. Such beautiful creatures. They're such amazing beings, and tough as nails.

[@brandonbroderick6336]

Love those Cubs meowing.

[@emmadpst8684]

OMG they are so sweet !!!!

[@msanchezgambetta]

this is so precious!.. little cubs"

[@tamsacne6915]

OMG they are so cute - I wish I have one :0)

[@elnabjelland-hughes8172]

Cuteness overload 😁💕💕

[@coloxus69]

They are so adorable 🥰

[@gracepei2115]

Mama is so beautiful!

[@rosesippel2932]

HOW PRECIOUS 💖

[@questone1152]

Awwww adorable

[@ndeyesamb5841]

Ils sont magnifiques ❤️🦁

[@TheKcbear08]

What a good mom.

[@keshicaunhye3353]

They look extremely cute 🦁😗

[@businessjetguru1298]

Unfortunately, wild lion numbers have fallen from 450,000 to an estimated 20,000 in under 100 years. As mankind takes their territory for farming and agriculture, lions have little chance to live in the wild, any more. In captivity, lion populations are growing, fast. Virtually all cubs survive, compared to 1 in 5 cubs surviving into adulthood in the wild. Sadly, private zoos often sell adult lions into canned hunting, where animals who are used to friendly humans are placed in fenced areas where wealthy hunters exploit the lion's lack of fear of humans before being slaughtered. In my view, mankind needs to put-up, or shut-up. Rude, but true. Set aside land that is well-protected by rangers. Release animals who can be fed and protected while they learn how to be "wild" again. Hunting instincts are both learned and instinctive, so we have the tools we need to help increase wild populations. Use the money from zoos to help finance re-building wild populations, or the only lions we will have, in a few decades, will be in zoos.

[@tarafeindel5775]

Business Jet Guru I completely agree with everything you say . Canned hunting and habitat loss are the two main problems.

[@fenpom39]

So sad

[@Brancaalice]

IT not necessary use land for agriculture, they can build farmer in ocean, we can build agriculture in high build, it much safe of pest end don't need pesticide. The vegetable can have balanced mineral, management of water, organically farming.

[@dannyd5697]

Business Jet Guru- Outstanding reply. Question for ya here. Wouldn't there also have to be an increase in food source populations? And maybe even enemy (hyena, etc) populations for the lions to survive? I most definitely would like to see the lion population back up around 450,000. The thing is, if there's 450,000 lions but no more zebras, buffalo, etc, then eventually the lions would eliminate those species. I know that film makers say that they can't interfere with nature when they let a cub die. I always felt if a new lion took over the pride, and was going to kill the children, then why not get in there and save them? I don't mean get in there while an attack is happening. I'm more referring to when a female wards off the new male for a day or so- those make great videos btw/- but ya know the next day or next week he's coming back, why not save the cubs in those cases? Those cubs could be put in zoos or something. Maybe it wouldn't be as good as being in the wild, but it's better than having them die. I would think if just 2 out of 5 could survive rather than 1 in 5, that would be enough to keep the population steady. Then if 3 out of 5 could survive, the population could grow at a healthy, but not to fast, rate. Am I on the right track or out of my mind?

[@judithcampbell3354]

Business Jet Guru I agree. Problem is the corruption in the African government. They are on the take. And until they put major laws in effect, n enforce them with jail time for poachers, shut down the canned hunting, protect habitat etc, Wild Lions will go extinct. Thank You A’ho

[@user-yr4yg8se1f]

So small cage! and mother is very exciting about so curious people!

[@urszulajaskierska3111]

Jaką jestem piękną i dostojną lwicą, i jak ślicznie opiekuję się swoim potomstwem,bierzcie że mnie przykładzik 😊😊😊😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

[@Rickywestenmn]

I'm always in awe of the size of those paws

[@TheKcbear08]

The mom looks so young

[@vilmarivera6404]

Aquí estamos viendo a los terribles y bellisimos cachorritos tiernistitos. Esto es de lo mas bello que uno ve y no nos cansamos de ver

[@nordlord25]

Awww lil cuties..

[@grimreaperhenrik]

you can really see how she locked her sight before charging the fence at 3:36 I wonder what she saw..

[@daniellamedina2894]

Beautiful mama

[@carolinefrench967]

She is saying i love you my angels👍👍👍👌👌👌😢😘😘😘😘😘🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁

[@estrellawakelin]

oh My Gosh, pure loveeeeee!

[@vilmarivera6404]

Bella madre con sus hijitos. Y que lindos como caminan a puras penas

[@MaryMary-lu4kf]

Какие милые. Какие звуки, совсем не рык

[@romariocamargo6291]

Admirable adora a sus crias😊

[@sihwidiromadhona5488]

what is glen africa farm?? are they farming lions for animal trophy hunting?? the volunteer link is nowhere to be found

[@user-fx5yu]

the lioness is beautiful.. are you sure she gave birth to... *that* heck a face only a mother can love

[@blankblank1635]

my thoughts. they are not toys

[@wajihanaquib1122]

So cute

[@LittleLulubee]

SOOOOO PRECIOUS ❤💕😍😍😍

[@user-hk9gc1pg7s]

How cute

[@tarafeindel5775]

As i see here, by the size of the cubs, mom and Cubs are to be separated from the pride for a reason, introduced when they are larger. This also happens in the wild. The people are shooting pictures not shooting them with a gun. None of us know the entire environment behind and around the lioness and her cubs. If these Cubs were bred for canned hunting or for pets they would have been taken away already.

[@MaximeDehaye]

Thank you for taking the time to read, and think, before commenting =) All the Lions in this center are rescued from canned hunting farm or illegal pets in South Africa.

[@sandraadelberg6454]

That is not a home so small

[@cookiedee8473]

Beautiful

[@alexandrastratanphotographer]

that cage is insane, no space...awful !!!! those doing this to lions should do time in prison. That is one stunning lioness, the babies are too precious, she knocks the little one over with her tongue , and he got his full bath..that sound they make is too sweet...the most precious animal on the planet

[@Adsper2000]

Read the description.

[@deniseyoung4494]

im in total agreement with you! I looooove lions. my favorite. :)

[@vilmarivera6404]

Ver esto es bello mejor que cualquier otra historia

[@MTerry621]

I love lions. They are awesome

[@rochellejohnson8576]

I agree about the cage is insane

[@adanyadupont8241]

they like so cute

[@marianayohana5208]

waw so sweat and cute

[@neenamalik7208]

My Cute LION KING Cute Cubs😘🥰

[@rachelschwebach7566]

This lioness and her cubs should be allowed to be alone and not have people around. Lionesses and cubs need time to bond with each other. The cubs need time to eat and sleep in peace. Mum seems very young. She’s beautiful. 🦁

[@NMA59139]

Sublime tableau

[@pbeacchannel9748]

EVERYBODY READ...THE... DESCRIPTION IT SAYS WHY ITS IN A CAGE BECAUSE OF HUNTING REASON I UNDERSTAND YOUR ALL MAD BUT BEFORE YOU EVER ASSUME STUFF READ...THE... DESCRIPTION!!!!!😠😠😠😠😠

[@zvexevz]

no, it gives a bullshit and false reason. lions don't go into a cage to protect their cubs. male lions will try and kill cubs that aren't their own, but no animal would ever take away their own freedom to protect themselves.

[@feafelhome]

It has to be a (dry and hygienic) DEN and not a CAGE... DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE? If not, former gives privacy, latter does not.

[@fikacorry2202]

Verry cute , i like

[@BH-yl1ni]

The cubs are well fed. I can see their tummy! It means their mother is well fed. If they are releasing them in wild in time then this project is good. In wild the lioness has to fetch food herself and care for her babies all alone. Of course, I am not any expert, I just love animal kingdom. But how did they catch her? Putting her in cage must have stressed the pregnant lioness initially.

[@bharatkumarb817]

Cute cubs

[@NinaBaby210]

It’s a zoo

[@mustaphaaitnssour7966]

Bonsoir super

[@rlondon96]

poor lions

[@b.hagedash7973]

For anyone thinking of volunteering in Africa, here is a link to a list noting the places that support conservation as well as the places to avoid. Glen Afric farm is listed under places to avoid. www.stichtingspots.nl/deposit/files/3330.pdf

[@feafelhome]

AAHA!! I thought so! No "conservation" program would keep those tiny cubs totally exposed to spectators

[@daijhanee]

Lol what happened at the end?

[@2000labar]

That lioness was not happy at the end and of the video.

[@canadapainter658]

sweet,,,

[@Everyoneisanartist776]

Lion cubs are known to be endlessly playful! What happened to these? Is there predators nearby?

[@michaelspikes8076]

Was the earliest a female lioness can have cubs

[@stephen5453]

Why are they in such a small cage?

[@SomeGuy-sj1ly]

Wow they were tiny. There were substantially bigger last i saw them

[@zzzzImTired]

The video doesn't show it but is that a small cage for the big lion? I hope not!

[@antonsevastian7013]

❤❤❤

[@arjunaprayoga9138]

❤❤

[@deborah5212]

OMG IS THIS NOT THE CUTEST LITTLE THING

[@ravisaini208]

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!

[@danieldasari6626]

Sooooooooooooo cut

[@michaelspikes8076]

Why do lioness keep having cubs even when there older

[@TLark]

Whoever owns that cage should be ashamed of themselves. Cage is way too small.

[@ebeneebene5896]

Pff little cage poor liones :(

[@coloxus69]

Bruh.

[@user-td3pl6ly7m]

Cute

[@venkatkammapati4123]

🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

[@badmasis]

Just build Little bigger cage where cubs can play with pond with water

[@abetassew3805]

wow the lioness sense something and move to attack mode

[@jayc2600]

+Abe tassew yea.....at the end

[@2000labar]

I noticed that as well.

[@alitatli6272]

Kucucuk kafese tikmissiniz arslani nalet olsun hayvanat bahceleri sirkler kapatilsin hayvanlara ozgurluk

[@myrnalebrejasoyadab6346]

Are these lions raised for trophy hunting?

[@MaximeDehaye]

The opposite actually, they're rescued from such places

[@dogcub8681]

Are this you lioness?

[@sandraadelberg6454]

I bet she is thinking how stupid are these humans

[@user-qm5mi3sg6u]

Love lion cubs.

[@lafonyagray5590]

so precious they are 3 cutie the protect there cube just like we protect our kids so how can you can kill them stay away from there kingdom n they won't mess with you that all they wont

[@msms47]

ppl keeping bitching about zoos while they know shit about the wild . in wild if lucky only 1 of thos cubs will live . and the mother will have a night mare trying to hunt and protect them at the same time . this is like heaven for them . remeber all kid of anmiles have piorties 1- Safty 2- Food 3- freedome and entertiamen . animales in most zoos at least get the first 2 prefectly . and in some zoos they even get the 3rd . wait what u think they will prefer runing for days trying to hunt ? ask your cat or dog . they are also Wild animales . there is 0 diffrence between a cat and a lion but thier size . and that fact for long time ppl house them . so if u house lions for 1000 years they will be just as normal house cats . wait what ? u say lions have instantc to attack ? well guss what shelock look how many dogs attacks there is . thats the case with all animales its just more with lions becaus they are bigger . bigger animales no matter what love to attack smaller animales that why cats hunts rats like lions hunts dears .cats and dogs ignore humans just as a lion ignora elphant unless hes starving . also very important part of zoos besdies leting retards like u enjy the animles is to preserve thier kind . in the wild an animale could go instaakt with out any 1 even noiticeing . every year some speices go instankt already . so zoos around the world make sure no matter what happens there will be animales left to start breading them agine if needed .

[@dannyd5697]

Ya know something? I never thought about it that way. I've always been fine with zoos. I figure it's better to have them at least be alive than killed. I mean from the aspect of they don't have to hunt. They probably like it better just being fed and not having to worry about not eating for 3 days if they don't have a successful hunt. I'd still like to see the lion population (and other animals too) replenish to healthy numbers. You just added another case for why I like zoos in addition to wanting more animals in the wild. Thanks

[@fungames24]

Apes need to give lions space to breath.

[@calvinjackson8110]

Cannot enjoy video for tio much human noise. I wanted to hear sounds of cubs.

[@ev132-e2h]

If I was a lion, I would rather die with no freedom....

[@ana-uh6wi2vj9m]

Very sad to see these free animals in a cage surrounding by noisy people

[@coloxus69]

Nah, The lion cubs is pretty cute smarter than you, you uglier.

[@gulpachasherzai270]

Mother lion are so good for protection of their cubs .but leopard and tiger so awful even sometime they kill their cubs and eat them unbelievably

[@marieclark6283]

It’s sad to cage animals up and get stared at even the cubs are not as active in captivity compared to the wild lions who always seem happy