Video of a woman cuddling lion cubs goes viral – Video of a woman cuddling lion cubs goes viral

A video of British conservationist Freya Aspinall cuddling four rescued lion cubs in bed has gone viral on social media.

The video sparked debate online. While several users praised their commitment to saving the boys from euthanasia, others expressed concerns about close contact with wildlife.

In the video, Aspinall is seen surrounded by the boys, who cuddle up to her like pets. The conservationist, the daughter of famous conservationist Damian Aspinall, explained in the caption that the cubs were rescued just hours before they were euthanized.

“How I sleep at night (no pets). “A few months ago we rescued four lion cubs who were just hours away from being euthanized,” she said in the post's caption.

The cubs were born in captivity to a breeder who exploited them for profit and were in imminent danger when Aspinall's team intervened.

“They were born in captivity to someone who exploits animals for profit, and someone reached out to us to see if we could help. Within a few hours we were able to intervene and save her immediately. Then I started hand-rearing, which included sleeping with them and caring for them like a mother would,” she said.

She further explained that their ultimate goal is to reintroduce the cubs into the wild in Africa, as they have done with other rescued lions.

“Our plan is to send them to Africa where they truly belong, like we did with other lions we previously rescued and hand-raised. Hand-rearing is always a last resort, but in this case it was the only way to save her life,” Aspinall said.

Watch the video here:

Several viewers were touched by the video and applauded Aspinall's commitment. “I've never been so jealous of someone in my entire life,” one user said, while another added: “You are an absolute angel to these beautiful creatures and quite brave.”

However, not everyone was convinced. Several users expressed concerns about the ethics of close human interaction with wildlife, even in rescue scenarios.

“Wild animals belong in their natural habitat and not in a human's bed,” said one user, while another added: “While rescue is admirable, this is not the way to rehabilitate wild animals.” They should learn to hunt and not treated like pets.”

See the comments here:

The video sparked controversy online, with viewers divided between admiration for the rescue and unease over the up-close interaction.