SINGAPORE - Two more endangered Asian lion cubs were born in the Night Safari in September, bringing the total number of offspring from the park's resident lions to a dozen.

Asian lions are a sub-species of the African Lion and only about 300 of them still live in the Gir Forest National Park in India. Close to 340 of them live in zoos around the world.

One of the cubs that was born recently is male while the other is female. They were microchipped and given vaccinations during a veterinary checkup in November and visitors will be able to see them in the Asian lion exhibit along the Night Safari's tram route over the next few months.

The cubs are currently with their mother in a cubbing den in a back-of-house facility.

Said Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, chief life sciences officer at Wildlife Reserves Singapore which runs the Night Safari: "It's always heartening to welcome new babies into our collection, especially at a time when many of the world's wildlife species are being threatened as a direct result of human-related activities. These births are a valuable addition to an assurance colony of Asian lions under human care, and will help to safeguard against extinction in the wild."

The Night Safari currently has a pride of 13 Asian lions, of which 12 were born here. One of them was sent to a zoo in Denmark as part of an animal exchange programme.