In a first in 14 years, a lion cub was born at Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), marking the success of its captive breeding programme, an official said on Saturday.

The cub was born to lioness Manasi at the national park on Thursday night, the official said.

The SNGP procured a pair of lions, Manas and Manas, last year in exchange for two tigers as a part of the zoo exchange programme as per the guidelines of the Central Zoo Authority.

The big cats were integral part of the captive lion safari and the breeding programme.

The official said after a quarantine period, the big cats were integrated with each other in a large enclosure, and they both bonded well after efforts from the SGNP team of vets and caretakers.

Dr Vinaya Jangle and a team of caretakers are monitoring the mother and cub 24x7. The lioness is doing good and nursing the cub well, he said.

With the new birth, SGNP now has three lions.

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