Lion Cubs are Growing Fast!
Posted at 9:38 am April 25, 2008 by Kym Nelson
Things sure have changed for the keepers at Lion Camp at the Wild Animal Park over the past few months. With a pride of 10 lions, we certainly have our hands full! The cubs are now 5 ½ months old and all 7 are growing quickly and are demonstrating that they are all individuals with their own likes and dislikes.
All of the cubs are now little carnivores; some will even challenge their moms to get an extra bite! They are receiving 3.5 pounds (1.6 kilograms) of Natural Balance Carnivore diet daily, as well as a half rabbit once a week and a half femur bone twice a week. Bones have fast become a favorite item, with all of the cubs growling viciously at any sibling who may be a little too close! Even though the cubs are now eating meat, they have not yet been completely weaned from their mother’s milk. Oshana is much less tolerant of nursing than Mina, who will allow any of the kids to nurse, whether they are her babies or not. We can expect this to continue for the next few months but hope to have them on an all-meat diet as soon as possible.
Along with the addition of meat to their diet comes the beginning of training. Right now the focus is to have the cubs learn what the whistle blow means. In training we use a whistle as a “bridge.” The whistle is blown at the exact moment that the cub is doing what we want and is used to “bridge” the gap in time it takes for us to see the behavior and reward the cub with food. At this point we want all of the cubs to know that a whistle blow means food is on the way! We are working on two simple things right now: getting the cubs to learn their names, and keeping their paws on the ground while they are eating. I think we may have some fast learners, if I do say so myself! The cubs all have a tendency to put their paws up on the fence while they are being fed (their parents did the same thing when they were young), but after only about one week of consistently reinforcing them to keep their paws on the ground, most have caught on! As the cubs grow we will work on training the same behaviors that their parents know (such as sit, down, rise up, and target); all of these behaviors help us with the daily care and management of these cats. Rest assured that you will never see the lions at Lion Camp performing any tricks.
INDIVIDUAL CUB UPDATES
Zawadi (Oshana’s male) is the largest of the bunch; his last weight taken on April 2 was 64 pounds (29 kilograms). He is probably one of the calmest cubs when it comes to feeding. While most of his siblings can become impatient if they do not feel that we are feeding them fast enough, Zawadi can usually be counted on to sit calmly and wait for the next bite!
Ekundu (Oshana’s male) is considerably smaller than his full brother and sisters. He weighed 49 pounds (22 kilograms) on April 3 and is very inquisitive. He likes to investigate things and will approach the keepers to a much closer distance than his siblings. His inquisitive nature has its drawbacks though; he is usually so busy on exhibit that he is the last one into the house at the end of the day!
Tamu (Oshana’s female) weighed 53 pounds (24 kilograms) while her sister, Laini (Oshana’s female), weighed a bit more at 56 pounds (25 kilograms) as of April 4. These two are definitely partners in crime. They can usually be found lingering outside the lion house once their parents have come in for the night, enjoying a good old game of chase and wrestle!
Sarabi (Mina’s female) is the largest female cub, weighing in at 78 pounds (35 kilograms) on April 19. She was the first cub to develop a taste for meat and started eating reliably weeks ahead of her siblings. I guess that she read the memo about what a lion is supposed to do!
Kaya (Mina’s female) is the smallest female cub, weighing 47 pounds (21 kilograms) on April 3. She is a mother’s dream, always listening to what Mina tells her. She is consistently one of the first inside at night, along with her brother, Ingozi.
Ingozi (Mina’s male) is the smallest of all the cubs, weighing just 42 pounds (19 kilograms) on April 2. He has the most laid-back personality. Ingozi is often on the sidelines when his siblings are playing but is a great companion and playmate to Nyack, our hand-raised cub. He weigh 57 pounds (26 kilograms). (See blog, New Cub Joins Lion Camp Pride.)
This pride of 10 can be seen on exhibit at Lion Camp from about 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. I hope you have the opportunity to watch these babies grow into the majestic lions they are fast becoming!
Kym Nelson is a keeper at the Wild Animal Park.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Scroll to the end to leave a comment. Pinging is not allowed.
April 25th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Love the updates! Hope Ingozi’s weight is not a result of an health issue so he and Nyack can continue being companions (until one or both are matched up to a female lion and/or are sent to other zoos). Sarabi sounds intimidating.
April 25th, 2008 at 10:50 am
WOW they are growing by leaps and bounds and what a great array of personalities, how interesting never a dull moment, watching them interact with each other must bring smiles to your faces and feeding time must really be funny. I am so glad Nyack will one day have a family group of is own with his cousins and a family of his own one day. Thank you for taking fantastic care of all the animals in your care
April 25th, 2008 at 11:37 am
I know there is a ton of hard work, occassional tears, and most likely sheer exhaustion at the end of your day — but boy am I jealous — I think you have the best job in the world! The big kitties are so cute, and seem to have such interesting personalities — it just must be a joy to get to work everyday and interact with them. And I bet they love you too — especially when there is a big, juicy bone involved. Thanks for everything you do to make our world a better, more interesting place for our furry friends.
April 25th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Thank you for the update. You did not mention about Nyack’s weight. Thank you I enjoy seeing all the lions.
Moderator’s note: Nyack’s weight is now 57 pounds (26 kilograms). We’ll add this info to the blog!
April 26th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Thanks for the update on the lion cubs! I really enjoy reading all of SDZ’s blog and it is especially heartwarming to know how the young ones are doing.
I am sure that the animal care staff have their hands full at this time as they train the cubs. Thank you for taking such good care of them!
April 28th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Thanks so much for keeping everybody informed of the growth rates of your lion cubs! I am very interested in body sizes of lions and therefore frequently visit your blog just to see the latest weight updates for the cubs! Can you tell me any size ranges you have recorded for any of your adult lions such as shoulder height or weight?
Animal Care Staff responds:
Adult male Izu: 452 pounds (205 kilograms)
Adult female Oshana: 275 pounds (125 kilograms)
Adult Mina: 286 pounds (129 kilograms)
Subadult male Zenda: 297 pounds (135 kilograms). His shoulder height is about 36 inches (91 centimeters); head and body length about 58 inches (147 centimeters)
Subadult male Kamau: 315 pounds (143 kilograms)
April 28th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Thank you Kym, for the update. I’m amazed at such a discrepancy of sizes (weights) between the females especially. Ingozi at 42 pounds and Sarabi at 78!
Thanks for keeping us informed. Please keep it up
April 28th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Sarabi must be huge?! She sounds like quite an assertive alpha female lion in the making. Is Ignozi at all health challenged? I remember sweet Mandisa, and miss her rambunctious self. Any time I hear that a cub tends to spend time alone, I wonder if something is not quite right. Or, is he just the “runt” of the litter and therefore is a bit smaller? Will his size impact his dominance as he grows into a majestic male lion? I just saw Luke at NZP on Saturday, and he has matured over the past 18 months into one extremely handsome lion with a gorgeous mane. The girls that are at NZP are just starting to become sexually mature, so they will appreciate his handsome mane as it continues to grow. It was funny watching the girls try to climb up on the wall separating them from the older female next door. Unfortunately for them, they were moved inside and Luke was outside, at the same time as the older female in the yard next door. That may change in the next few months as they mature.
I love to watch the videos of the WAP cubs and their various personalities and interactions. I agree with comments/question above about the difference in color of Nyack and Ignozi and siblings. Is Nyack different color because he has different parents, or because he has been struggling to live and gain weight?
Animal Care Staff responds (taken from comment #23 of previous lion blog): We don’t know for certain why Nyack is so much lighter. We can tell you that in general his mother, Etosha, and “aunt” Mina are lighter in color compared to the other adults. Keepers also theorize that his coat is different because he is not constantly groomed by the adults. As the other cubs are groomed, their baby fur sheds off and new hair grows which might be why they are darker in color and not as fluffy as Nyack. When he was younger, keepers would brush him as a substitute for the mother’s tongue.
April 28th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I think we are missing updates on two cubs — only six are mentioned. But thank you for the update on these beautiful babies. What happens between 9 am and 11:30 am? Who is on exhibit?
Moderator’s note: All 8 cubs were mentioned: Tamu and Laini in the same paragraph, Ingozi and Nyack in another paragraph. At this time, Nyack and 1 to 7 of the other cubs are on exhibit first thing in the morning.
May 6th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Thank you for the update! I check this blog often to see how all the lions are doing, and am always thrilled when there is news. I saw the whole pride back in February, and can’t wait to make another trip to the WAP to see little Nyack with his cousins. Thanks again!!!
June 19th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
How are things at Lion Camp? Are the cubs still playing together?
Are Etosha, Mina and Oshana all “sisters?” I know Mina and Oshana are, but didn’t realize that Etosha might also be related.
How is Nyack progressing?
June 26th, 2008 at 9:06 am
Have you noticed any reaction of Oshana, Mina, or Izu to the cubs after they have been with Nyack? I imagine that his scent gets on them when they wrestle. Perhaps the cubs are now old enough that their mothers are not grooming them as much, and may not be spending as much time with them so it is a non-issue.