10 Facts About Simba, The Cutest Lion Cub in Singapore

Singapore’s always been known as the great Lion City, what with our namesake springing from the myth of a lion sighting and our symbolic creature being the Merlion, too.

And now, years later, a new historical Lion King has appeared on our very shores, a testimonial to the real Circle of Life – in the form of the smallest, cutest, fluffiest lion cub to ever grace us with its presence!

1. The First Lion Cub In Singapore, Simba, Has Been Born

Forgive the dramatics, but you’ll also be squealing about this news by the end of this article if you’re not already after you see the cub in question.

Last year, on 23 October 2020, a new lion cub was born at the Singapore Zoo.

He’s a male cub, and he’s made history as the first one in Singapore to be born here with the help of assisted reproduction. This preserves the zoo’s bloodline of lions, said the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS).

Imagine making history with your birth – legends only.

2. He Looks Like A Soft Toy

But of course, you must be most curious about how the little cub looks like.

Here I present to you a lion cub so cute he seems unreal.

Look at his big eyes and little paws! 

It’s enough to make people forget that he’s still a strong lion underneath it all, but it’s also really no surprise that everyone’s in love with him now.

3. He Shares A Name With A Movie Character

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, everyone’s probably familiar with Simba the lion, the main character in Disney’s 1994 classic, The Lion King.

Simba actually means “lion” in Swahili.

For such a historical feat, WRS has also decided to name the new lion cub after the iconic character, calling him “Singapore’s very own Simba”. Bet he just can’t wait to be king.

4. And So Does His Father

It all sounds like we’re living in the lore of the movie, but I kid you not – Simba’s father also shares the name of a character in the film.

He’s named Mufasa, after the name of Simba’s father, who shared a very strong relationship with the cub, training him to be king before tragedy struck.

Mufasa is an elderly African lion who resides in the zoo and lived up to the ripe old age of 20. Typically, African lions in the wild typically have a lifespan of 10 to 14 years, but Mufasa beat the odds and managed to live a long life.

5. He’s An Only Child

Simba was actually born through the process of artificial insemination, and not through natural breeding between two lions in love.

Keepers and veterinarians had extracted semen from the old lion through electro-ejaculation, and inseminated it into a female lioness named Kayla. She was actually selected as an ideal candidate to be Simba’s mother as she’s proved herself to be a good breeder.

Mufasa was unable to successfully breed with female lionesses throughout his long age as he’d been a very aggressive lion. Lionesses must not like bad boys very much, then.

After three failed attempts at trying to breed a cub through artificial insemination involving Mufasa, Simba was the only success and thus remains as his first and only child.

6. Sadly, They Will Not Meet

Unfortunately, after the electro-ejection procedure was carried out on Mufasa, the elderly lion did not wake again, separated from his son just like in the movie.

In his old age, he faced problems such as muscle atrophy, which was a key factor that the WRS considered in ending his life. They also shared that his euthanasia was not an easy decision to make, and took a long time for zookeepers and veterinarians to do so.

However, the WRS added that despite Mufasa being unable to sire any cubs in his lifetime, “his genes would be of high value in contributing to the genetic diversity and sustainability of African lion populations in zoological institutions.”

African lions are currently listed as a “vulnerable” species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Simba’s said to have the same eyes as Mufasa though, so he’ll always have a part of his father together with him.

7. He Needed Help With Feeding

WRS described Simba’s first month as “eventful”, just like most mothers would say after giving birth.

Under the care of his mother Kayla, the cub was growing well but had difficulty sucking and was found to be lethargic soon after. Keepers then made the careful decision to supplement his nutrition with bottle feeding, similar to how human babies are fed.

Kayla seemed to have inflamed mammary glands at the time, which interfered with feeding Simba.

8. He’s A Mama’s Boy

Experts were very worried about making the decision to bottle feed Simba as animals can reject their young following temporary separation, said Mr Kughan Krishnan, head keeper of carnivores at WRS.

However, it turns out that they had nothing much to worry about, as Kayla accepted the intervention well and remains a loving mother – the result of the accumulated trust between the lioness and the animal care team, Mr Krishnan said.

Observations made showed that she exhibited wonderful motherly instincts, including being protective of her son and sometimes sharing her food with him as well. Aww.

9. Enjoying His Life At Three Months Old

Simba is now growing up healthily at three months old, and is described to be an inquisitive little lion.

He’s started to take delight in enjoying raw meat alongside his milk, and spends his time playing with devices specially developed by his keepers aimed at stimulating his growth and development.

Simba’s current favourite hobby is tussling with his most beloved toy, a simple rattan ball.

He also spends his time trying to perfect his roar, but as a little cub, it only comes out as the most adorable squeak.

10. New Addition To The Lion Family

Simba is one of two male lions housed at the zoo currently, the other an adult male named Timba. He also has an aunt and a half-sister that he will be introduced to in the future.

Currently, you’ll not be able to see Simba just yet, for he’s living with Kayla in an off-exhibit area in the zoo to allow the two to bond more away from the crowds.

Can’t wait for Simba to grow up well so we can see more of him again when he’s older!

You can watch the video about the journey to Simba’s birth here:

Featured Image: Wildlife Reserves Singapore