Sheepdog rears abandoned lion cub
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
10.10.2014 13:32
A lion cub that was abandoned by its mother has been taken on by an Old English Sheepdog at a zoo in Wojciechow, eastern Poland.
Carmen the sheepdog and lion cub Parys. Photo: Wojciechow Zoo/Facebook
The cub's mother “completely failed to respond” to the newborn, according to zoo spokesperson Ewa Wiktorowska, as cited by the Dziennik Wschodni daily.
However, the owners of the private zoo happened to have a sheepdog at home called Carmen who had just given birth to a litter.
Photo: Wojciechow Zoo/Facebook
The lion cub, who has been named Parys, was swiftly introduced to the canine mum.
“She immediately accepted him,” Wiktorowska revealed.
“Milk from Carmen will certainly be better than artificial substitutes,” she added.
After three days, the cub opened its eyes, discovering that it had a large number of siblings, and a shaggy-haired mother.
According to Wiktorowska, the little lion has a big appetite and is growing fast, so he is also fed from a bottle, and will soon be given meat to supplement his diet. (nh)