Whipsnade Zookeepers share picture of lion-dad Malik
It's to mark Fathers' Day this weekend
Being bitten, pounced on and stalked is all in a day’s work – when you are a dad to seven lion cubs.
Whipsnade Zoo’s male north African lion, Malik, is celebrating his first Father’s Day this year, after the three-year-old became a dad to seven rambunctious cubs.
While lionesses do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to childcare, zookeepers at the conservation zoo have shared a snap which shows Malik taking fatherhood in his stride.
The picture shows the cubs snuggling with dad.
Each of Malik’s seven cubs are important additions to the conservation breeding programme for their vulnerable subspecies, the northern African lion.