PRESS RELEASE For immediate release | December 5, 2014 Media contact: Gigi Allianic, Caileigh Robertson 206.548.2550 | woodlandparkzoopr@zoo.org

Triplet lion cubs get first health check-up

SEATTLEA team of veterinary and animal management staff performed the first of a series of wellness examinations today, Dec. 5, on Woodland Park Zoo’s newest African lions, three male cubs. The diagnosis: a clean bill of health and continued achievement in growth milestones for the 6-week-old cubs.

The triplets were born to 5-year-old mother Adia (ah-DEE-uh) and 7-year-old father, Xerxesthe first litter between the parents and the first for the father. Adia gave birth to her first litter in 2012 with a different male.

The exam included blood draws, vaccinations, weigh-ins and an overall assessment of their health. The cubs currently weigh between 15 and 17 pounds.

Photos of the exam can be seen on the zoo’s blog: http://bit.ly/lioncubcheckup.

“We’re very pleased to report that the cubs are feisty, as they should be, and strong,” said Dr. Darin Collins, Woodland Park Zoo’s director of Animal Health Programs. “They’re healthy, robust and within the normal weight range of lion cubs at their age. From the looks of their full, round bellies, they’re nursing regularly and Adia continues to be a good, attentive mother with her second litter.”

The cubs are still unnamed and remain off view in the maternity den where they are bonding in quiet surroundings and are monitored by zookeepers through a den cam. Xerxes is on exhibit in the African Savanna daily and Adia is given the option to go outdoors to the exhibit twice a day. Meanwhile, lion fans can enjoy video of the cubs at the lion shelter.

The father currently has limited access to his cubs and continues to show positive signs that he wants to bond, according to Martin Ramirez, the zoo’s mammal curator. “We are drafting a plan for introducing Xerxes to his cubs and are confident that he will join Adia in the parenting role of teaching them how to be lions and roughhousing,” said Ramirez.

The cubs are developing increased mobility, which is a critical skill before they are introduced to the outdoor public exhibit, explained Ramirez. “We also are waiting for warmer outdoor temperatures,” said Ramirez.

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.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently 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.

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