4 rare white lion cubs born at Toronto Zoo

This week of big maternity news continues at the Toronto Zoo, which announced today that four white lion cubs were born at the facility last weekend.

The zoo reports that Makali, a four-year-old female white lion, gave birth to four cubs: two on Saturday and two on Sunday. The news comes days after the zoo announced its panda Er Shun is pregnant with twins.

Makali started showing signs of late pregnancy last Tuesday and staff moved to an around-the-clock schedule to monitor her closely.  

While all four cubs appear healthy and are feeding well, the first 30 days will be critical for them, the zoo says.

Makali and her cubs are in a maternity area of the lion habitat in the African Savanna section of the zoo and are not viewable to the public. The zoo, however, has posted this YouTube video showing Makali and her cubs. 

This is the first litter of cubs for Makali and the father, Fintan.