All wild cats are majestic creatures that some of us wish to keep as pets. If you come face to face with their cubs, you wouldn't want them to grow into wild cats that can kill you. Needless to say, cubs are cutie pies and the teeny tiny versions of our wild friends! Sometimes we just want to look at pictures of adorable cubs in a futile but fun effort to identify the cutest. Here are ten of the cutest cubs the animal kingdom has to offer. To make things a little more interesting, I have included news about cubs being rescued or too cute.
1. Tiger Cubs
Photo credit: Sydney ZooBaby tigers are born blind and weigh between 785 and 1,610 grams. Their eyes will open sometime between a week or two.
In January 2023, an Arizona man was arrested for illegally keeping a tiger cub and attempting to sell it on social media for $25,000. Fox1O Phoenix reported.
2. Jaguar Cubs
In November 2022, a Jaguar cub named Eddie was seen thriving at a California animal sanctuary a year after it was abandoned outside the sanctuary. According to NBC San Diego, the cute cub was dumped at the front gates of east San Diego County's Lions, Tigers and Bears in the middle of the night. The sanctuary gave the name Eddie to the adorable cub. Eddie was illegally sold in Texas for almost $30,000 and transported to California in the spring of 2021. The animal was re-sold in California and abandoned in San Diego County. Two people were arrested and charged in this case. Below are photos of Eddie the Jaguar.
3. Lion Cubs
Photo credit: Indianapolis ZooWhen they are first born, Lion cubs are very small and have their eyes closed. Their eyes will open after they are two or three weeks old. Even then, they are completely dependent on their mother because they can’t see properly for another week or so. Lion cubs are vulnerable to attack from large birds and snakes and even male lions. To avoid this, mother lions usually hide their cubs from other lions for around almost two months before introducing them to the pride. If the pride already has older cubs, the mother lion must wait for her cubs to reach around three months old before introducing them.
In August 2022, a Lioness fatally mauled a man who tried to steal her cub at a zoo in Accra, Ghana. According to the New York Post, the victim scaled a 20-foot-tall mesh fence and entered the enclosure wherein were a lion, a lioness and their two cubs.
4. Leopard Cubs
Leopard cubs typically begin to accompany their mother on hunts when they are about four months old. Until then, they are hidden safely whenever their mother goes hunting. They then leave their mother when they are about two years old.
5. Cougar Cubs
Photo credit: Oakland Zoo6. Cheetah Cubs
Photo credit: National ZooIn 2020, pictures of a mother Cheetah playing with her adorable cub warmed hearts. The moment was just adorable. See the pictures below.
7. Clouded Leopard Cubs
Photo credit: Zoo MiamiAccording to People, Clouded Leopards are the best cats the animal kingdom has ever produced. In July 2022, Nashville Zoo was thrilled to announce the birth of two clouded leopard cubs. They just look adorably cute!
8. Snow Leopard Cubs
9. Tigon Cubs
As a zoo-bred hybrid, a Tigon is an offspring of a male tiger and a female lion.
10. Liger Cubs
As opposed to Tigons, a Liger is an offspring of a male lion and a female tiger.