Unlikely Nurse
Three young lion cubs raised with the assistance of an Irish red setter were placed on public view at Dublin Zoo on 16 January, attracting attention to one of the most unusual episodes in the Gardens’ long breeding history. The cubs had been born to the lioness Hypatia, but she refused to nurse them. Keepers were therefore forced to seek another source of milk if the litter was to survive. A goat was first employed for several days before the setter assumed the role of foster mother, accepting the vulnerable cubs and feeding them alongside the close supervision of zoo staff.
