One of three lion cubs born on Sept. 24 has died, Zoo Miami said Friday.
The mother, 3-year-old Kashifa, had been tending to her cubs initially, but she recently began to neglect them, the zoo said.
"This is not unusual behavior with first-time mothers who are known to sometimes experience difficulties in perfecting their maternal skills which can often lead to the loss of cubs in the wild," the zoo said in a statement.
Zoo staff decided to take the cubs away from their mother and give them supplemental feedings. They were then reunited with Kashifa. Two of the cubs recovered from the neglect but the third one, a male, didn't survive.
The other two cubs are now separated from their mother so they can be fed regularly.
"This separation is a last resort effort to save the lives of these cubs. It was a difficult decision to make as it is Zoo Miami’s policy to leave babies with their mothers except when the life of the offspring or the mother is in danger," the zoo said.
