lioncubs.exhibit

The Pride is Growing at the Virginia Zoo

3-month old lion cubs go on exhibit with their mother on August 20, 2009

foursome.cubs Norfolk, VA (AUG. 20, 2009) – They’re only three months old and ready to take Hampton Roads by storm. The four cubs born at the Virginia Zoo on May 2, 2009, will officially go onto public exhibit with their mother, Zola, Thursday, August 20 at 10:30 a.m.

For the next few weeks, Zola and the cubs can be viewed from 10:00 a.m., when the Zoo opens, until sometime between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m., when their mother, Zola, will go back into the den for her lunch. The cubs like to stick with mom, so they’ll remain off exhibit and out of the sun for the remainder of the afternoon. The Zoo’s male lion, Mramba will be on exhibit in the afternoons.

Hampton Roads residents have been eagerly awaiting the debut of males, Ajani, Razi and Dakari, and female, Zarina. The cubs and their mother have been off exhibit since their arrival. This period gave them time to bond and time for the cubs to grow big enough to safely navigate their outdoor exhibit. Their birth represents only the second large carnivore birth at the Zoo in 35 years.

“Zola has been a great mother,” notes Greg Bockheim, executive director of the Zoo. “She was very attentive to her first set of cubs born in August 2007, and even though she has twice as many babies to manage in this litter, she has been an excellent lion mother. This means that she is quite protective of her cubs and wants them with her at all times!” Keepers have characterized the foursome as playful, curious and feisty.

“It’s a rare treat for a community to watch lion cubs grow up and even more unusual to have so many cubs at one time,” says Bockheim. “But we are most pleased with the fact that this birth represents an exciting success for the Virginia Zoo and the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP),” notes Bockheim. “The genetic pedigrees of our lions make them an ideal breeding match, and their cubs will be valuable additions to other zoos’ lion exhibits and SSP programs.”

SSP animals are considered to be some of the most critically endangered species on the planet. Their wild and captive genetic populations are monitored and closely managed in captivity as in most cases the loss of one or the other population would clearly lead to extinction of the species. The AZA manages the animal collections of its member zoos and recommends placements to ensure the best care for the animals and to maintain a healthy and sustainable population that is genetically diverse and stable.

Zola gave birth to her first litter of cubs – a male and a female – on August 19, 2007. Those cubs, Granby and Neka, were assigned by the AZA to separate Zoos in Oregon. They were transferred in June 2009, and both facilities have reported that the young lions are settling in well to their new homes.