FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

21 August 2007

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LION CUBS BORN!

At The Virginia Zoo

NORFOLK , Va. – Staff at the Virginia Zoo are celebrating the birth of African lion cubs. This is the first large carnivore birth at the zoo in 35 years.

The zoo's lioness and first time mother gave birth Saturday to cubs while on exhibit. Although the lion pair, Zola and Mramba, have been observed breeding by zoo staff and visitors, t he birth was somewhat unexpected because Zola has just reached reproductive maturity and did not show obvious signs of pregnancy.

The mother lion prepared a very secretive, and barely visible, “cubbing lair” in dense vegetation in the exhibit.

"There have been less than a dozen lion cubs born in the US in accredited zoos this year so this occurrence is very exciting for all of us at the Virginia Zoo and a very significant addition to the lion genetic pool worldwide,” said Greg Bockheim, the zoo's executive director.

Female lions give birth after a gestation period of 110 days and can have up to four cubs at a time. Litters of two or three are the most common.

The Virginia Zoo participates in the African Lion Species Survival Plan. The organization identified Zola and her mate, Mramba as a perfect genetic match for breeding.

To see the lions and more than 350 other animals, visit the zoo between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. , seven days a week.

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Above: Proud parents, Mramba (left) and Zola (right)