Lion to get snip after triplets birth

A lion from Cape Town's Drakenstein Lion Park who fathered cubs will have a second vasectomy procedure.

Cape Town - A South African lion called Brutus, who fathered three “miracle” cubs despite having had a vasectomy in his youth, is going back to the vet to have the operation a second time.

Brutus and his partner, Nala, which live at the Drakenstein Lion Park near Cape Town, stunned staff at the sanctuary when Nala gave birth to the cubs just before Christmas.

“We are a non-breeding sanctuary and Brutus, before he became sexually mature, had a vasectomy, which we assumed worked because for the past three years there has been no offspring,” the park’s owner, Paul Hart, said on Tuesday.

“So we were taken completely by surprise by the cubs.” Local media reports jokingly referred to a “Christmas Miracle” or “White Christmas” because the animals are rare white lions – an unusual genetic mutation.

Mother and cubs, who have yet to be named, are doing fine, while Brutus has a date with a vet. “Hopefully, this time round, we’ll fix the problem,” Hart said.

The Drakenstein Lion Park is a private sanctuary that rescues captive lions from abusive environments and cannot be released into the wild.

Reuters