They may be only two months old but Auckland Zoo's newest celebrities know how to entertain a crowd.
The four African lion cubs went on show for the first time last week and have proved a roaring success.
Stumbling over one another, play-fighting and biting mum - 3-year-old Kura- are all part of their routine.
When the four cubs, all females, arrived on May 5 they were the first to be born at the zoo in 21 years.
They have not been named but hundreds of suggestions have been received from the public as part of a competition.
Already the four have proved a major crowd-puller.
Samantha Stephens, spokeswoman for the zoo's Pridelands area, said they were becoming increasingly active and doing a lot more exploring.
But all that activity can wear a lion cub out and a large part of their day is spent sleeping.
Visitors who miss seeing them in the outdoor enclosure can watch them in their den - where they have a straw bed and heating - via "cub-cam."
Samantha Stephens said that at the moment the cubs were separated from their father, Tonyi, and the other male lion, Tombo, for their own safety. They would eventually share quarters.
The cubs were still suckling but had recently started eating meat.
She said they would remain at the zoo for about a year and then two or three would probably go to Australia.
