Introducing Newborn Lion Cub ‘Simba’ and his Siblings at Longleat Safari Park
6th October 2011
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To celebrate the release of the Pride of Disney, The Lion King 3D, in cinemas on Friday 7th October, two new African Lion Cubs, born at Longleat Safari & Adventure Park on 10 September, have been named “Simba” and “Nala” after the much loved characters in Disney’s animated epic. Disney will help these loveable siblings into the “Circle of Life” by helping to feed them over their first year as they grow into full-grown healthy lions.
Simba and Nala are two of four cubs born at Longleat last month to first-time mum Malaika (meaning ‘Angel’ in Swahili) who was also born at Longleat back in 2005. The other two cubs were named by Daybreak viewers this morning. Daybreak viewer Margaret White named one “Enzi” which means ‘Powerful’ in Swahili, Sharon Paterson another Daybreak viewer named the other “Nyota” which means ‘Star’ in Swahili.
The cubs will be found within the second lion reserve at Longleat where they will join an existing pride of twelve lions, headed up by the male lion, Nibalo who arrived at Longleat back in November 2010. The four cubs recently born are the second litter in 2011, prior to this year Longleat’s last lion cubs were born back in August 2007.
Simba, Mufasa, Nala, Scar, Timon and Pumbaa are back and better than ever as one of Disney’s best loved animations, The Lion King,roars into theatres nationwide in breathtaking Disney Digital 3D™. A special four week theatrical extravaganza kicks off on 7th October, showcasing the Oscar® and Golden Globe® winning film on the big screen in 3D for the first time ever.
From the moment The Lion King was first released in 1994, it became an instant Disney classic, with audiences the world over falling in love with the characters, story and amazing animation. The film was joined by an award-winning soundtrack that introduced us all to the magic of the Circle of Life and taught us about Timon, Pumbaa and Simba’s Problem Free Philosophy, “Hakuna Matata”.
The Lion King 3D continues to go from strength to strength in the US and has now taken pride of place as one of the all time top grossing films at the American box office. After only 3 weeks in cinemas across the US, the total gross stands at an astonishing $79.7 million. The Lion King already holds pride of place as the third highest grossing animated film of all time, the highest grossing traditional hand-drawn animated film of all time and the highest grossing film for Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Bob Trollope, Big Cat Keeper in the Safari Park commented:
“We are delighted to introduce our new lion cubs to the world and especially happy that they can be a part of Disney history and help to celebrate such a beloved animation. Simba, Nala and their siblings look forward to meeting you all.”