Kuala Lumpur  - Zookeepers in Malaysia's southern Johor state have named two new African lion cubs after US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, a news report said Tuesday.

Obama and Hillary, along with another female cub yet to be named, were born in captivity at the Johor Zoo on January 16, zookeeper Mohamad Sham Mahdon Said said.

"Obama the president and Obama the lion cub can both trace their ancestry back to Africa, so there is a definite connection there," Mohamad Sham was quoted as saying by the Star daily.

The cubs were born to Siti and Sarip, nine-year old African lions.

"It is curious, playful and hates being caged up," Mohamad Sham said of little Obama.

Obama and Hillary have been the major draw at the zoo since their birth, with tourists and visitors flocking to have their pictures taken with the namesakes of the US politicians. (dpa)