Little king Simba a first in Singapore

The Singapore Zoo has revealed it welcomed a male lion cub to its animal kingdom following artificial insemination - a first for the city-state.

It is rare for lions to be conceived through artificial insemination. It was first successful in 2018 in South Africa and resulted in two cubs.

Lions in the wild are fast disappearing, with no more than 39,000 mature animals left and listed as vulnerable.

Singapore's new cub, named Simba after the main character in Disney's The Lion King, was conceived with semen from an elderly African lion. But the father, Mufasa, also given his name from the animated film, was in poor health and did not survive the procedure.

Simba, born in October, is being cared for by mother Kayla and zookeepers and is described as "healthy and inquisitive."

A video shows him being fed from a bottle and playing with a ball.