Vic: Melbourne cubs to receive their shots

AAP General News (Australia)
02-14-2001
Vic: Melbourne cubs to receive their shots

MELBOURNE, Feb 14 AAP - Six lion cubs born at Melbourne Zoo on New Year's Eve will
receive their first medical check today.

Zoo veterinarians Sam Young and Kate Bodley will give the cubs a complete physical,
immunise them against cat flu and feline enteritis and dose them with worming medication.

The examination will be the cubs' first human interaction and will be the first opportunity
the zoo has to find out their sex.

A zoo spokeswoman said the cubs' mother, Jespah, was doing fine.

Carnivore department keepers said Jespah had been spotted dividing the cubs into two
groups to enable her to feed them.

Jespah and her mother Juliana have been looking after the cubs in the maternity yard
divided from the lion pride by a wire fence enabling the older lions to look at, without
interfering with, the newest family members.

They will be introduced to father Tsavo and their two older brothers and Jespah's twin
sister when they are between 12 and 14 weeks old.

AAP jmw/jlw/jas

KEYWORD: CUBS

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