THIS is the touching moment a lion nicknamed Corgi is seen playing with a yellow ball – and the cub earned his nickname for his tiny paws.
The cute social media clip captured the four-year-old cat playing in his enclosure in China.
The African lion was seen enjoying a game at the Jiudingshan Wildlife Zoo in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province.
Zoo staff said they gave him the nickname because of his noticeably short legs and gentle temperament, making him a favorite among his keepers.
The lion also became an online sensation after the zoo started posting videos of it.
A viral clip showed him playing with a ball as if it were a normal household pet.
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According to goalkeeper Xiao Cai, the reason for his short legs is congenital.
He explained that Corgi was tragically bullied by other lions due to his smaller size.
He now lives in his own separate compound as a result of the cruel treatment he suffered.
The average four-year-old lion is usually between three and a half to four meters tall.
Corgi, on the other hand, appear to be shorter, which draws attention to their unique physical appearance.
Local media reported that Corgi’s paws were about two-thirds the length of a normal lion.
Although it is not currently on display for visitors, Xiao said he hopes that will change soon due to the animal’s growing popularity online.
She added: “I hope one day Corgi can have visitors because he really is so cute!”
Sadly, Corgi was abandoned by his mother after birth and was hand-raised by staff throughout his life.
Another staff member said no abnormalities were found in Corgi at first.
It wasn’t until he was two or three years old that employees began to notice that his legs appeared to be shorter than those of a typical lion.
PorcelainMany zoos have made headlines before, but have sometimes received backlash for seemingly bizarre antics.
Earlier this year, bizarre images showed a dog painted like a tiger cub as part of an alleged ploy to attract more tourists.
The stunt sparked another outrage over “fake animals.”
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In February, a Chinese zoo came under fire for painting donkeys in black and white to make them look like zebras and attract more visitors.
The garbage dye was quickly discovered before the amusement park in Zibo city, Shandong province, admitted that the animals were donkeys.
