A lioness rescued from a defunct zoo in war-torn Aleppo has given birth just hours after arriving at a wildlife park in Jordan.

Dana and 12 other animals – including four other lions, two bears and two tigers – were transported from the Syrian city of Aleppo to Jordan by the international animal charity Four Paws, stuck in cages during the three-week journey.

They arrived at the Al Ma’wa reserve in northern Jordan on Friday.

Dr Amir Khalil, a vet who accompanied the animals, said he had been worried Dana would give birth while in transit in a cage.

In such a case, it is unlikely the cub would have survived, he said.

Instead, Hajar, Arabic for “the immigrant”, was born sometime on Friday night in the reserve.

Staff at the reserve discovered the cub when they checked on Dana on Saturday morning.

Dr Khalil said he believed the lioness waited for a safe space to give birth.

“She is a mum, she had the instinct, it’s a miracle,” he said.

The cub was born white, though that colour could change, and weighed an estimated 1.5 to 2 kilograms, said Dr Khalil who has not been able yet to examine Hajar.

The gender is still unknown.

On Sunday, the cub was mostly sleeping next to its mother in a cage in the reserve.

Dana has been bonding with the cub, nursing and cleaning it.

An ultrasound performed during a stopover in Turkey showed Dana carrying two cubs.

Dr Khalil said it was unclear whether the second cub was still waiting to be born or whether it was born dead close to the time of Hajar’s birth and was eaten by the mother.

The reserve now has 25 lions, tigers and bears rescued from war zones across the conflict-scarred region, including Iraq and the Gaza Strip.

The birth of the cub was a powerful symbol of hope, Dr Khalil said.

“After the dark, there is light,” he said with a wide smile.