Kid Territory:Critters: Lion and Dog Duo

Lion cub and puppy enjoy playing in the "abandoned" safari vehicle parked in Lion Camp at the Wild Animal Park.

koza and cairo Koza the lion cub and Cairo the mastiff pup have become good friends and exercise buddies.

keeper feeding koza When he was younger, Koza needed to be hand-fed bottles of formula every few hours. He drank each one with great gusto! He is now on solid food.

cairo Cairo is a typical exuberant puppy. She gets to go on daily walks around the grounds of the Wild Animal Park to see elephants, gorillas, and more!

Zoo names: Koza and Cairo
Species: African lion and Italian mastiff (or cane corso)

Their story

On November 11, the Wild Animal Park welcomed a new lion cub into the family. Mom, Etosha, and dad, M’bari are two of the lions who reside at the Park’s Lion Camp exhibit. Koza (Swahili for “to shine” or “be bright”) was delivered by caesarean section because his mother was having some difficulty delivering him naturally. As a result, the cub needs to be hand-raised.

Because lions typically live in groups called prides (they’re the only social cat), keepers were concerned that little Koza had no littermates. Everyone agreed that Koza needed a playmate. But who?

Koza’s new friend would have to be another social animal with a mellow, but not submissive, temperament. The playmate would need to be tough enough for the growing lion cub to wrestle and play with. The answer seemed obvious: a dog! Often, cheetah cubs are paired with young domestic dogs to help keep the cats calm as well as to give them companionship. The cheetah-dog pairing works well, and keepers felt confident that a lion-dog match could be equally successful.

Saved from a hurricane

Meanwhile, a pregnant Italian mastiff dog arrived in San Diego from New Orleans. She had been evacuated after Hurricane Katrina by a canine rescue organization. Here, she gave birth to three puppies, one of which was given the name “Cairo.” Cairo was friendly, strong, and outgoing. She seemed to be the perfect companion animal for a lonely lion cub, so the match was made.

The first meeting

When the two youngsters first met at the Wild Animal Park, Cairo immediately pounced on her new playmate! Koza was a little unsure of this greeting and hid behind his keepers in the Park's Animal Care Center until he gathered up his courage. Since that day, Koza and Cairo have spent lots of quality playtime together. They take daily “field trips” to Lion Camp, where they exercise in a back area, much to the curiosity of the adult lions, who catch glimpses of them through the rocks.

Future plans

Eventually, Koza will come to live at Lion Camp. Although he’ll be introduced to the lions there, he probably won’t join one of their prides. Instead, Koza will someday be paired with a lioness to start his own pride.

Where does that leave Cairo? When Koza outgrows his canine playmate, Cairo will leave the Wild Animal Park to live with a member of the Park's Mammal Department staff—she’ll be getting her very own human family!

Where You Can See Them

Koza and Cairo currently reside at the Animal Care Center in Nairobi Village. When they’re not playing together, Koza can usually be seen napping in the nursery window while Cairo entertains herself (and guests) in a large enclosure next to the nursery exercise yard.