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One Of Three Lion Cubs Born At Zoo Miami Dies

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Zoo Miami is mourning the loss Friday of one of the three lion cubs born on September 24th.

The mother of the cubs, three-year-old Kashifa, was initially taking care of her three newborns, nursing them on a regular basis.

Recently, however, according to Zoo Miami, the mother began to neglect the cubs—which is not unusual behavior for first-time mothers. Sometimes, first-time mothers experience difficulties in perfecting their maternal skills which can often lead to the loss of cubs in the wild.

When it became apparent that, due to the mother lion's neglect, the cubs weren't receiving enough nutrients, the staff at Zoo Miami had to make a decision to intervene. The staff then temporarily separated the cubs to be given supplemental feedings, and then they were returned to their mother.

Slideshow: Newborn Lion Cubs Pride of Zoo Miami

Two of the three cubs, according to the press release, recovered from their mother's neglect but the third one, a male, did not survive.

All though it is a last resort, the two surviving cubs have been separated from their mother again and will be hand-raised by the carnivore staff. Zoo Miami said it was a difficult decision to make  as it is policy to leave babies with their mothers. The exception is made when the life of the offspring or mother is in danger.

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