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PRESS RELEASE For immediate release | November 7, 2014 Media contact: Gigi Allianic, Caileigh Robertson 206.548.2550 | woodlandparkzoopr@zoo.org
2-week-old lion cubs are getting bigger…and cuter
SEATTLEWoodland Park Zoo’s triplet lion cubs are doing what cubs are supposed to do. They’re growing… they’re bumping about…and they’re getting cuter every day.
The African lion cubs, all males, were born at the zoo on Oct. 24 to 5-year-old mother Adia (ah-DEE-uh) and 7-year-old father, Xerxesthe first litter between the parents and the first for the father.
The cubs and mom remain in an off-view maternity den where they can bond in comfortable, quiet surroundings, and continue to be under the watchful eyes of zookeepers via a den cam. “Adia was an attentive mom to her first litter of 2012,” said Martin Ramirez, mammal curator at Woodland Park Zoo. “It’s very encouraging to see her demonstrating good maternal care for this litter as well.”
The cubs’ eyes are now fully open and have more than doubled their weight since birth. According to Ramirez, the cubs currently weigh in at 6½ pounds for the smallest cub and nearly 8 pounds for the largest cub.
New photos and video of the cubs can be seen on the zoo’s blog; and zoo-goers may enjoy video at the lion shelter.
“It’s always fun to watch lion cubs growing up and discovering their world. They’re a little clumsy walking around, they’re frisky and they’re playing with one another. Our cubs are doing what lion cubs naturally do at 2 weeks old,” added Ramirez.
The father has limited access to the cubs and will be fully introduced to the pride at a later date. “Xerxes and Adia are given access outdoors to the African Savanna exhibit at certain times of the day but it is their choice whether or not to leave the dens for outside. Their viewing schedules are unpredictable at this time,” said Ramirez.
The cubs will remain off public view until they are a bit older and demonstrate solid mobility skills. In addition, outdoor temperatures need to be a minimum of 50 degrees.
Xerxes arrived in the spring from El Paso Zoo to be paired with Adia under a breeding recommendation by the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for African lions. Adia arrived in 2010 from Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, in Ohio. SSPs are a complex system that matches animals in North American zoos based on genetic diversity and demographic stability. Pairings also take into consideration the behavior and personality of the animals.
Woodland Park Zoo’s lions belong to the South African subspecies, Panthera leo krugeri. Known as the Transvaal lion, it ranges in Southern Sahara to South Africa, excluding the Congo rain forest belt, in grassy plains, savanna and open woodlands.
In a press release two weeks ago, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the African lion as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. As few as 32,000 African lions are estimated to remain in the wild and their future remains uncertain. The three main threats facing African lions at this time are habitat loss, loss of prey base and increased human-lion conflict.
Woodland Park Zoo supports the Ruaha Carnivore Project, which focuses on the importance of predators to healthy ecosystems, through the Lion Species Survival Plan Conservation Campaign. To help support the project, adopt a lion through the zoo’s ZooParent Adoption Program: www.zoo.org/zooparent/lion. ###