He hand fed the beautiful big cats and experienced their enclosure up close.

The cubs were given the tick of approval after following Australia’s strict biosecurity regulations, in place to keep out exotic diseases.

Those include rabies, tuberculosis and tyrpanosomiasis that have the ability to affect domestic and wild animals.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classes lions as vulnerable, so the safe entry into the country plays an important role in conserving the species.

They were officially cleared for quarantine on September 27 and are now settled into the zoo.

Not only will they attract more people to the region, their ‘all-clear’ from quarantine ensures Australia maintains an enviable record of being free from a number of biosecurity risks found throughout the world.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce, joined Mr Hartsuyker in welcoming the cubs to Australia.

“Biosecurity officers and vets worked closely with staff from the Billabong Wildlife facility to ensure that Australia’s strict import conditions were met,” he said.

“This includes having the cubs examined, vaccinated and tested for a variety of diseases, including external and internal parasites such as ticks and cestodes, before leaving South Africa.”

Mr Hartsuyker said the arrival of the cubs, Misty and Milo, is great news for tourism and conservation.

“The unrelated cubs will have the opportunity to grow together and may eventually produce cubs of their own,” he said.

Federal Member for Lyne Dr David Gillespie welcomed their safe arrival to Port Macquarie.

“I would like to congratulate Mark Stone and all of the staff at the Billabong Zoo on this significant and rare occasion,” he said.

“Their tireless efforts to deliver an up close and personal look at some of the worlds fascinating will ensure the zoo remains the pride of the Hastings Valley.”