“On their first night out they caught a kudu and the very next morning a red hartebeest‚ confirmation that they can successfully fend for themselves in the wild‚” Addo conservation manager John Adendorff said at the time.
“Now that it appears he finally has a place where he belongs‚ without threat‚ and the fact that he has bonded so closely with the younger male‚ we are confident that Sylvester will have no need to ever stray again.”
Angel and another lioness were released in Kuzuko at the same time‚ and reserve manager Gerhard de Lange said on Thursday the four lions had formed a close bond.
Sylvester and Angel were photographed mating in March‚ and De Lange said: “Although both lionesses were on contraception we started to suspect that Angel had given birth between June 15 and 20.
“She showed all the signs of having cubs suckling her‚ but as lionesses keep their cubs hidden for quite a period when they are very young‚ we hadn’t been able to spot them.
“On Monday our suspicions were confirmed as Angel and her two cubs started moving around together and we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them.”