Lions and bobcats are just a few of the animals the Wild Animal Sanctuary rescues. The nonprofit is home to over 290 large carnivores, including bears, tigers, and wolves as well. Take a look at some beautiful cats that were rescued and now call this 720-acre refuge their home.
Remember when Julianne Moore fronted Bulgari's Fall/Winter '10 campaign, posing naked but dripping in jewels and cuddling with the cutest lion cubs in the world? Julianne's elegance and glamour seemed a natural fit for the luxury brand. For its Mon Jasmin Noir perfume campaign, Bulgari continued with the sultry vibe, and their choice of frontwoman is surprising: indie cutie Kirsten Dunst, who I associate more with adorable dimples and Marc by Marc dresses than glamorous jewels and lion escapades. To get the full experience, watch the movie, where Kirsten Dunst appears to love a lion in a strong Beauty and the Beast reference. She looks gorgeous, and it's a complete departure from the older Julianne. Who do you think is a better fit?
For Spring 2011, we fell in love with the adorable pup that walked the Mulberry show. Then, we saw Givenchy's Fall 2011 collection featuring wild cat motifs. We're completely on board, but the challenge is to find a way that exhibits our animal-loving spirit, albeit in a chic manner. These totally fierce and very gorgeous animal-inspired accessories from Jenny Bird, Verameat, and Ashley Pittman are our answer. Click to see.
Source: Getty
While it's true that many mammals lick their live young to clean them of amniotic fluids, that's not the only reason! As it turns out, by this mama lion giving some love to her lil one, she's also stimulating its breathing and digestive properties.
What's more is that all cats use licking to cool off which would come in handy in the balmy wilds of Africa (not so much at the zoo) and barbed tongues for easier drinking or lapping in this case. This lesson's done so treat yourself to more sweet photos below!
There were so many lions born at the National Zoo in August and September — seven to be exact! The litters were born to two sisters but proud papa, Luke, is the same for both families! Does that make the mamas sister (lion) wives? 
What's even more rare is that these are the first cubs to be born in DC in over 20 years and, until their birth, Luke was the only male in the whole place! Whoa.
Since it's impossible to tell them apart as they frolic, check out all the pictures of the cubs playing together in the snow and read more
Two baby lions are definitely twice as nice and bottle-feeding brings the cuteness to a whole new level. While Nero and Niza were born a bit too late to be included in our adorable ensemble poll which is such a tight race and needs some tie breaking votes!
The cubs were born via cesarean and need a helping hand 'til they can join the big lion family.
See the twosome in a close-up photo and read more
To prevent a sink-or-swim situation, lion cubs have to go through the motions to test water prowess! Naturally, before the four babes at the National Zoo can live at the exhibit with mom later this year, they need to be able to navigate the moat that surrounds it since they still aren't making life jackets in lion sizes. Keepers were on hand to conduct the swim tests one at a time, but this lil one doesn't seem to be a fan of the water quite yet.
The big cats are not known to be expert swimmers and tend to stick to land in the wild, but I must say the cubs look rather adorable in their efforts. See more swim time shots below!
What a clown this cub is! Mama lion Joy gave birth to four cute lil ones all kissed with "k" names and, lucky for us, there are tons of pictures!
They look like quite the playful bunch and already quite a handpawful, but these parents seem to have things under control. Even though babes are born with spots, these will fade as they grow big and strong. But that tuft of dark hair that looks like a plaything actually helps the creatures communicate with other lions in their pride, so I'm proud of the cub for catching right on to its importance.
Check out more of Kuwam, Kalika, Keladi, and Kanya and read more
Congrats, Mama! Shera gave birth to four cubs on Aug. 31 at the National Zoo in DC, and you can watch them move — or, at press time, sleep — at your leisure!
The newly launched Lioncub Cam goes behind the scenes for a sneak peek at the babes not yet on exhibit to public visitors. The lil ones are still without names but, if this zoo's past tweeting habits are any indication, I'm sure we'll learn more about the lion babies sooner rather than later!
If you're as captivated as I was by my dog's daycare camera, refresh your memory on my tips to set one up in your home, too!
Source: Smithsonian's National Zoo
Remember when I joked about making this the Year of the Lion Cub, too? Well, here's another one, cuter than ever! Learn all about lil LIlly and start this slideshow!
