Lion cubs survive birth in subzero Macedonia cold
Date: 27-Dec-01
Country: MACEDONIA
"It is like Siberia. All 12 employees have been working hard to help the cubs survive," Nexhmedin Demiri, manager of the zoo in the city of Bitola, told reporters after naming his newest tenants Boro, Mira and Tanja.
"Now, the critical phase is over and they should be OK."
He said three monkeys had also been born since temperatures plunged below zero and were also in good health.
Since last week, the southern Balkan republic has been enveloped by severe cold and heavy snow which has caused traffic chaos and cut off more than a hundred villages.
Temperatures in Skopje dropped to -23 Celsius and the capital is covered with 30 cm (12 inches) of snow. Meteorologists said the weather conditions were the worst in Macedonia for decades.