Update - Koza & Cairo!
Posted at 5:50 pm March 1, 2006 by Marcia Redding
Our lion and puppy duo have been doing lots of growing! Koza, the lion, will be 4 months old on March 12, and weighs in at 43 pounds (19.5 kilograms). Cairo, the puppy, is a little heavier than her companion, but they are still relatively equal in weight. There have been a few changes and milestones for the pair in recent weeks.
The first big news is that Koza is officially weaned. He now eats carnivore diet as the big lions do, and seems to enjoy it immensely. This is a product that is specially formulated for zoo carnivores, and comes frozen in plastic wrapped chubs, just as you sometimes see ground beef offered in the grocery store. While the main ingredients are ground beef and beef hearts, it has many other ingredients added to make it a complete carnivore diet. The only additional item that is needed are bones to keep the teeth healthy.
The next big change in the pair’s routine has been the addition of field trips to the cheetah enclosure in Heart of Africa. This exhibit has been vacant for some time: construction has begun on the Wild Animal Park’s new transportation system and the resulting commotion and noise would be too much for the sensitive cheetahs. They were moved to the peace and quiet of our off-exhibit cheetah compound. Koza and Cairo have no problem at all with the construction activity. They love having a grassy play yard with hills to run up and down. So far these trips are not on a schedule, but may be sometime in the future. Until further notice, however, there will always be a sign at the Animal Care Center in Nairobi Village to let visitors know where they can be viewed.
Koza and Cairo will eventually have a change of address: they will move to Lion Camp permanently at some point. Beforehand, there will probably be lots of field trips to allow them to become accustomed to the exhibit and facilities.
It’s hard to predict how long the two youngsters will be able to remain together, but for now they are getting along just fine! I will post any future developments in the lives of these busy youngsters. Come in and see them soon - they are growing up fast!
Marcia Redding is a senior mammal keeper at the Wild Animal Park.
Watch video of Koza and Cairo playing together.
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March 1st, 2006 at 7:28 pm
Hi Marcia:
Thanks for the update. It sounds like Koza and Cairo are getting along famously. IF possible, we would love to see pictures/vidoe of the 2 of them playing in the grassy field. I wish I had the time and $$ to come and visit but for now live vicariously thru all of the SDZ staff. Thanks again!
March 2nd, 2006 at 8:22 am
Loved the first video of the “kids” playing together. Sent it to everyone I know. Would love to see more videos of them interacting. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication.
March 2nd, 2006 at 11:08 am
I love to see them together, playing and jumping around. I wonder for how long they can continue like that. I imagine that at some point it would be dangerous for Cairo to continue this friendship, though one never knows!
March 2nd, 2006 at 4:23 pm
How adorable they are! We have visited them several times and plan to again soon. I hope you continue to post blogs about their progress and provide us with more play time video.
March 2nd, 2006 at 4:28 pm
I’ll jump on the “more video please” bandwagon, too. Thanks for keeping us updated on Koza and Cairo. Do they stay together 24/7 now?
March 2nd, 2006 at 6:10 pm
Thanks for the update, Marcia. When Koza and Cairo are eventually moved to the Lion Camp, will they be in an area we can peek at? Sure hope so!
March 20th, 2006 at 12:22 pm
Hi Marcia,
At the Linton Zoo in the UK. There is a lioness cub named Safina. She weighs 35# and is being raised by Kim Simmons and Safina’s companion domestic cat, Arnie.
March 20th, 2006 at 7:05 pm
Loren, I’d be interested in how that works out! Arnie must be a very patient feline to put up with a lion cub. By the way, we have an okapi named Safina at the Wild Animal Park..it’s a pretty name. Shirley - the plan at the moment is to begin introducing the pair to the exhibit at Lion Camp. After we see how it goes, there will probably be scheduled times when they will be on exhibit. I’ll keep you updated.