No matter if they are humans or animals, parents are parents, and that means they are always there for their little ones, making sure they receive plenty of attention, care, and love.
Now if you believe humans’ feelings towards their bundles of joy are stronger or in any way different than those of the animals, this video will prove you wrong.
A baby lion was born at the Denver Zoo in July of last year and his first encounter with his mighty daddy is cute beyond words. Now imagine the fierce King of the Jungle getting emotional in front of his newborn cub. People are glad the video of the father and son was put on tape because it comes as a refreshment from the bad news we hear every day.
The lion could be seen crouching in front of the tiny baby, and that’s cute and heart-melting at the same time.
The cub is still way too small to be shown to the public, so the workers at the zoo make sure they post plenty of videos of him on their Facebook page.
“He’s spent the last couple months bonding with his mom (Neliah), dad (Tobias) and half-sister (Kamara) behind the scenes at Predator Ridge at Denver Zoo, and will soon make his big public debut in one of the outdoor habitats,” Jake Kubié, the director of communications at Denver Zoo told Bored Panda. “He’s all the things you might expect of a lion cub: playful, curious and energetic!”
What is even more special about the cub is that the public took part in naming him. This way, the zoo helped raise funds for the lions who live there. The list consisted of three very special and meaningful names people could choose from and vote for.
The first name was Meru, which is the name of a mountain in Tanzania, the second was Moremi, the name of a game reserve in Botswana, and the third was Tatu, Swahili word for the number three, as the cub is the third offspring of mom Neliah. Honestly, we were totally in love with each of these names and knew that whichever the public voted for would suit the baby just perfectly. Eventually, the name Tatu was chosen.
Now, if you are among those people who find this story cute, but believe that lions don’t belong in the zoo but free and living in their natural habitat, the zoo has something to share with you.
“It’s very important to remember that half of African lions have disappeared in the last 25 years and face growing threats, such as poaching, loss of prey and destruction of habitats in their native ranges” the Denver Zoo representative said. “We hope that by seeing our little lion cub, people will be inspired and take action to help protect his wild counterparts and other wildlife around the world.”
Take a look at the video below to witness the first encounter between this sweet cub and daddy.