At Delhi Zoo, 27 is the lucky date for lion family as Mahagauri awaits another litter

For Delhi Zoo 27 is more than a date on the calendar it is the number tied to every lion birth there since 2009 with another perhaps in the offingPregnant Asiatic lioness Mahagauri who delivered cubs last year a first at the zoo after an 11year gap is expected to give birth again on June 27 raising hopes of fresh additions to the zoos lion family an official saidWhat makes the number stand out is that every successful lion birth at the zoo over the past 17 years took place on the 27thCubs were born on June 27 2009 September 27 2014 and April 27 2025 turning the date into a symbol of good fortune for the National Zoological Park the official told PTIWhile zoo officials describe it as coincidence they admit that the pattern has become too obvious to ignoreIt may be a numerical coincidence but all the recent lion births at the zoo happened on the 27th Naturally it has become a memorable date for us the official saidThe anticipation surrounding Mahagauris pregnancy is also linked to another milestone She is set to become the first lioness since 2009 to conceive again within about a year of giving birth a rare phenomenon in the zoos recent breeding history he told PTILion breeding at the zoo remained healthy until 2009 with cubs born every few years However it declined sharply thereafter with births becoming infrequent the official saidAt one stage the programme had nearly stalledBy 2021 Sundaram a lion born at the zoo in 2009 was the only lion left at the facility Now 17 years old Sundaram has grown old prompting authorities to look for fresh breeding stock he saidTo revive the lion population the zoo brought one male and two female lions from Junagadh in Gujarat in 2021The trio ldquo Maheshwar Mahagauri and Shailjaldquo were born in 2020 and were expected to give a fresh boost to Delhi Zoos breeding programme the official saidThe plan however suffered a setback when Shailja sustained a serious injury while moving around her enclosure She later developed a paralysislike condition in her hind limbs that left her unable to breed the official saidAs a result hopes of expanding the lion population now rest largely on Mahagauri and MaheshwarTheir first successful breeding resulted in the birth of five cubs on April 27 2025 But the litter also exposed the challenges of a first pregnancyThree of the cubs died shortly after birth as they were not fully developed while the remaining two survived only after veterinarians handreared them on artificial cat milk when Mahagauri was unable to nurse them the official saidThe two cubs are now healthy and continue to grow under the care of zoo staffThe official feels Mahagauris second pregnancy could yield better results Having already gone through one reproductive cycle she is expected to give birth to stronger and more developed cubs this timeVeterinarians are closely monitoring her health diet and enclosure conditions as the delivery date approaches he saidThe zoo currently houses three pairs of lions including the two surviving cubs from Mahagauris previous litterAnd as the countdown begins for the arrival of the new cubs staff members cannot help but glance occasionally at the calendar ldquo particularly at the date that has repeatedly brought good news for Delhi Zoos lion familyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever