These remarkable photographs show that it’s not just humans who are struggling with unexpected extra childcare at the moment. Singa, an African lion, found that his pack of five unruly cubs were quite a handful while their mother was away recovering from an attack by another lioness.

Although he appeared to be trying his best, his parenting skills were not quite up to the task of caring for his young brood at Pakawi Park Zoo in Belgium while their mother, JJ, underwent medical treatment.

Singa, an African lion living in Pakawi Park Zoo in Belgium, s.truggled to look after his five cubs while mum was in the hospital recovering from an i.njury caused by another lioness

Singa tried to lift the cubs to carry them to a safer place the way their mother would but did not know how to do it properly making them cry every time he came near them

The father lion exhibited gentleness and patience towards his cubs, even when they threw tantrums. However, he did become a little grumpy when they started to bite his tail.

According to wildlife photographer Linda Smit, the mother lioness was attacked by another lioness and had to be separated from her cubs for a few weeks to heal from severe injuries. During this time, the father lion had to take care of the cubs on his own. He attempted to lift them up and move them to a safer location, imitating the mother’s behavior. However, being a male lion, he lacked the experience and skills necessary to properly lift the cubs. Although the cubs were not comfortable with him, he remained tolerant and gentle towards them.

Zoo vets eventually restored the mother lioness to full health, which made the cubs ecstatic. They were overjoyed to have their favorite parent back with them in the enclosure. The final picture shows the happy reunion of the lioness and her cubs.

When mum returned from the vets, fully recovered from her injury, the cubs were absolutely delighted to have their favorite parent back