Clean bill of health for inbred Yorkshire Wildlife Park lion cubs
The cubs' mother, Aysa, was rescued from war-torn Kyiv in March 2024 with her female cubs Emi and Santa, and male Teddi, who is now two-and-a-half-years-old.They arrived at YWP after being moved 2,000 miles (3,219km) by road from a Polish holding facility.It was thought that Aysa became pregnant between two vasectomy procedures her son Teddi underwent towards the end of 2024.The park has been criticised for the "against the odds" pregnancy, because inbreeding can lead to health defects and abnormalities. But a spokesperson said it was decided not to separate the lioness and her older cubs because they had spent nine months apart without sunlight or outside stimulation on their journey to Doncaster and there had been fears separating them again would have "compromised" Teddi.
Staff at YWP said following the cubs' latest check-ups and vaccinations, their development was on track and they were hitting weight and growth milestones."We are so happy to share that the cubs are doing well," Ms Brown said."Their personalities are already coming through and the boys are definitely a bit more boisterous. "The female is a little more delicate and keener on coming over to see the keepers."
Staff said the cubs needed "the best possible start at life" and, as the weather improved and the cubs grew, they were getting more time outside.Eventually, the new cubs would live alongside their older siblings, but for now could be seen on screen, a spokesperson said.Ms Brown said: "We're working on gradually progressing them to the reserves, but first need to do some 'cub-proofing' to ensure they're safe."Hopefully, soon visitors will be able to see the cubs join their siblings and learn to socialise with the rest of the pride."
Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Maura Higgins shows off dramatic living room makeover after moving into her 'dream' £1.25m Essex mansion
has given fans a sneak peek inside her plush £1.25million Essex mansion - unveiling a dramatic living room transformation. The Love Island favourite, 34, shared a before-and-after look with her 3.7million Instagram followers on Monday on her new home Instagram account. Maura showed how the once sparse space, pictured with just two slouchy white beanbags and a boxed-up TV, has been completely transformed into a snug lounge. Gone were the empty walls and floors and in their place, a plush white and cream sofa, a matching ottoman, soft rugs, candles and warm lighting. The Irish beauty, who first shot to fame in 2019, has finally fulfilled her dream of upgrading from her modest one-bed flat to a five-bedroom home. The upgrade comes after Maura's meteoric rise to fame, from her breakout stint on Love Island to presenting Love Island USA, starring in I'm A Celebrity, and bagging her latest role in The Traitors US. Speaking about her ambitions, Maura previously said she always knew she wasn't destined to stay in rural County Longford, marry her teenage boyfriend and open a hair salon. 'That wasn't my dream, I wanted more,' she once declared. Earlier this year, she splashed her hard-earned £3.2million fortune on the luxury pad, which boasts an en-suite master bedroom, four further bedrooms, an expansive kitchen with an island, and black French doors leading to a landscaped garden. Overjoyed, Maura shared to her Instagram followers a picture of her new kitchen with a chandelier and grey floors, which she bought in October, with the caption 'Bought my dream house'. Maura's previous home was raided by three-masked men and so the Love Island star has ensured her new home was in a gated development which provides privacy and security. After first sharing the news of her new home in October, Maura had barely gotten the keys to her new house when she entered the jungle in November for a four-week stint in Australia. Maura entered the Love Island villa in 2019 and after almost six years in the spotlight with lucrative brand deals, she has amassed a fortune of an estimated £3.2million. Maura recently shared how she escaped working in a hair salon in Ireland to become a ring girl for the brand Monster against the wishes of her then-boyfriend and dad. The influencer said: 'I wanted to do more and travel the world. I'm young, why not?' Her time with Monster caught the eye of ITV recruiters for Love Island, who approached Maura multiple times before she finally accepted as revenge against her boyfriend, which has now landed her a multi-million-pound fortune. Maura previously shared with her Instagram followers a picture of her new kitchen with a chandelier and grey floors, with the caption 'Bought my dream home' Her big home purchase came after she treated herself to a new £60,000 Porsche just before heading into the I'm A Celebrity jungle in November. Maura became the proud owner of a Porsche Macan, which typically ranges in price from £60,000 to £98,00. Sharing a photo from inside her new car, she showed off its luxurious all-white leather interior. Maura captioned the post: 'My baby has arrived finally,' along with a white heart emoji. It comes after Maura displayed her toned physique in a summer minidress on the weekend as she shared a glimpse of her lavish lifestyle in an Instagram post. The former Love Island star, 34, stunned as she enjoyed a picnic in the sun while wearing an ivory and pink milkmaids dress. In a second image she looked happier than ever after pulling on a pair of thigh-skimming shorts and fedora hat for a bike ride. Another snap captures Maura enjoying a mint ice cream, while wearing a ruffled dress in a similar colour. She also shared a glimpse of herself in more casual attire, including a bright pink T-shirt dress branded with the Love Island logo. The brunette later posed for a fun snap with her pals as they made funny faces for a photo collage.
The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
NHS official admits ‘what we did wasn't enough' for 14-year-old who died at mental health hospital
A senior doctor has admitted that the NHS did not do enough for a 14-year-old who died at a private hospita l it sent her to and kept her in despite knowing it was understaffed daily, an inquest has heard. The doctor, Dr Gillian Combe, has also warned that children's mental health units across the country are struggling to staff their wards every day and that the NHS does not have the money to build its own wards. Ruth Szymankiewicz died after self-harming while she was left alone at Huntercombe Hospital, also called Taplow Manor, near Maidenhead in Berkshire, despite requiring constant one-to-one observation, Buckinghamshire Coroner's Court was told last week. The inquest into her death last week revealed the hospital was 'severely short-staffed' on the day of her death and that staff had repeatedly warned leaders over the lack of workers. A note written before her death, read out at the inquest, revealed she had said hospital staff would fall asleep on shift, that there was no access to therapy and that the hospital 'should be shut down'. On Monday, Dr Combe, a clinical director for the Thames Valley provider collaborative, which is responsible for commissioning children's inpatient mental health care for the area, gave evidence. She told the jury there no other choice but to admit Ruth to Taplow Manor's psychiatric intensive care unit (PICU) on 4 October 2021, despite a warning from her parents that this was not appropriate for her. A month later, Dr Nishchint Warikoo Ruth psychiatrist at Taplow Manor, made a referral to the NHS asking for her to be moved to a different unit, as the PICU 'environment wasn't the best for [her]...but that there wasn't any other suitable place'. When asked about Ruth's admission to the hospital, Dr Combe said: 'We had concerns, I was in the [provider collaborative] we had the CQC, we were living and breathing trying to turn this hospital around but hospitals around the country were facing the same challenges…all the units were really struggling…it was a really stretched really difficult system.' She said the concerns over the quality of care prompted NHS officials to be 'breathing down their necks' and that she was visiting the hospital weekly. 'We were really trying and I'm really sorry, what we did it wasn't enough for Ruth but we were really trying so hard to come alongside as the NHS to help this hospital improve,' she said. 'We were in a situation where beds were closing across the country. We have seen mainly independent sector providers pull out across the country…there were really high level discussions we decided we would throw everything at Huntercombe Maidehead and we worked really hard.' Dr Combe led the closure of Taplow Manor in 2023 after Ruth's death. When asked if the provider collaborative was aware of the staffing issues at Taplow Manor, Dr Combes said: 'Yes…absolutely they were struggling on a daily basis…there are training issues we don't train enough nurses it difficult to recruit every day on my ward we're struggling to staff up to the next day and this is happening all across the country. It is really tough all the time.' She also said the NHS had concerns over the use of restrictive practices at the hospital, which can include restraint, and suggested there were more care assistants than qualified registered nurses. She also revealed that the NHS had quality concerns over other PICUs across the country, and all were struggling with staffing. Dr Combes admitted, 'The NHS does not have the capital to build the hospitals for these young people that we desperately need. This is embedded in my lessons learned following the closure of the Huntercombe, it is a massive problem.' If you are experiencing feelings of distress or are struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans in confidence on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@ or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go to to find a helpline near you.
BBC News
24 minutes ago
- BBC News
Concern after 50 allotments built on South Downs National Park
Residents have criticised an allotment company for "destroying" protected land in West Allotments has created 50 new vegetable patches on 12 acres of land between the villages of Clapham and Patching, near Worthing, in West Clapham and Patching Conservation Society (CPCS) said the project had ruined years of rewilding efforts, and the entrance and exit from the A280 was a "death trap".A spokesperson for Roots said a large part of its business model was conservation, including wildflower meadows and bugs hotels, and that it had no plan to build housing on the land. 'Beautiful meadow' The allotment site, known as Patching Meadows, is on land within the South Downs National Park."It's not easy to get to, there's no public transport. It's a very odd choice for location," said Anna Bingham, of the CPCS."The land owner is well within his rights to lease the site to Roots, [but] why this site? There are countless others."To stick it out here, in the middle of the national park, why? And... without any ecological study?"Ms Bingham said the "beautiful meadow" has been been rewilding for years and was "bursting with wildlife"."Roots arrived, harrowed the field and put up the anti-deer fencing," she said. The CPCS said it was not against allotments on the site, but opposed "destroying" the fields to make way for said it chose the location after sending letters to more than 150 land owners around Worthing, Brighton and Shoreham."We picked the absolute closest field to an urban location - it was the only field we were able to get a deal with," it company said it was "absolutely incorrect" to suggest the site would be developed into housing at a later date, adding that its focus was on "trying to educate people in growing food on [the] biggest scale possible".The South Downs National Park Authority said it had visited the site three times this year and found there were no planning breaches to investigate.
