A "Happy Birthday" garland and 20 kilograms of beef - the lion triplets born a year ago in Gelsenkirchen Zoo received their first presents the day before their birthday. "They have developed splendidly and already weigh 65 to 70 kilos," zoo spokeswoman Franziska Gerk told the German Press Agency on Friday.

On October 8, 2021, lioness Fiona gave birth to three offspring. The kittens, which were still fluffy at the time, were only presented to the public after a good four weeks, which the trio of girls initially spent in a protected whelping box. Since then, Jamila, Kumani and Malaika have been delighting visitors to the "Zoom Erlebniswelt" Africa adventure world. Externally, the three now pubescent big cats can hardly be distinguished, in character: "Kumani is very curious, Malaika is a real daddy's child and Jamila is somewhere in between. She takes a look at everything first and then goes her own way," explained Gerk.

In addition to the lion mother Fiona, her twin sister Lissy also participated in the rearing and education of the lively triplets from the very beginning, while the lion father Bantu always watched over his gang of women.

Communication zoo