Mama lion seems distracted, so zookeepers take over for two newborns

SAN DIEGO -- With her first two litters at the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park, the lion Oshana was a good mother.

But with her twins born Dec. 6, Oshana seems to lost her mojo for maternity.

Enter the keepers at the park’s animal care center. The cubs are now at the center, getting bottles of kitten-starter formula every two hours.

The female cub now weighs 3.5 pounds, the male 5.5 pounds. She’s feistier than he is. Each sleeps about 20 hours a day, just like adult lions.

For the time being, the lion cubs, the first born at the park since 2007, will remain at the care center, viewable by visitors from 10 a.m. to noon. Later, they’ll be put out on more public display.

The goal, zookeepers say, is for the two “to learn to be lions together.”

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tony.perry@latimes.com