Update - Koza & Cairo!
Posted at 8:52 pm January 19, 2006 by Marcia Redding
As you may know from previous Weblogs, Koza is our ten-week-old lion cub being raised at the Animal Care Center at the Wild Animal Park. His mother was unable to give birth to him normally, so he was delivered by caesarean section. Early on we became concerned that he had no littermates. Lions are very social animals, and quickly out grow human playmates.
It was decided that a canine companion might be a solution for this problem. Enter little Cairo, an Italian mastiff puppy whose mother was a refugee from hurricane Katrina. For the past few weeks, she has been housed in Koza's room at the Animal Care Center, in a separate enclosure. They have been able to see each other, but not have physical contact, while the veterinarians ran some tests to be sure Cairo was healthy.
Yesterday the puppy received a clean bill of health and the two youngsters were introduced face to face for the first time, behind the scenes at Lion Camp in Koza's exercise yard. At first Koza was not impressed; the puppy's first impulse was to jump on top of him and wrestle. As she is a bit bigger than he is at this point, he was a little intimidated. Later, after hiding behind his keepers for awhile and peeking out at the puppy, he became a little braver. For now, Cairo will be kept on a leash until Koza realizes he's a lion and can play rough, too!
Today the two young animals spent some more time together at Lion Camp and also hung out together at the Animal Care Center. Already, Koza is much more relaxed in Cairo's presence. I am sure that shortly they will be the best of friends. As Koza and Cairo grow and mature, their relationship will be closely monitored to be sure they are both safe and thriving. Come out to the Wild Animal Park soon and visit this dynamic duo. They will be all grown up before you know it!
Marcia Redding is a senior mammal keeper at the Wild Animal Park.
Watch video of Koza and Cairo playing together!
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January 20th, 2006 at 1:17 am
Aw, thanks for the update on those two. We'd love to see photos of them together.
January 20th, 2006 at 9:29 am
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful story. I was having a bad day until I read about Koza and Cairo! Thanks for taking such good care of these animals.
January 20th, 2006 at 9:34 am
Thank you so much for this update, I hope I get a chance to see them when I get up to the Animal Park
January 20th, 2006 at 10:19 am
How funny! Koza will no doubt " realize he's a lion" soon. I hope there will be video of that! Thanks for keeping us up to date on this little guy and his best friend.
January 20th, 2006 at 10:32 am
Just wait, soon that little lion king will realize who and what he is, and little Cairo will learn some manners! Is/will Cairo receive any obedience training?
January 20th, 2006 at 10:33 am
Oh - how adorable! I must go see them soon! Thank you so much for the update - I'm so happy that they are both thriving and becoming buddies. I suppose like all new relationships - it just takes a little time to get to know and trust each other - just like humans. Give them both a big kiss and cuddle from me. XXOO
January 20th, 2006 at 12:15 pm
My family and I spent Monday at the Wild Animal Park and it was a perfect day! We got to see Koza being fed in the nursery–absolutely delightful! What a handsome cub he is! Later in the afternoon while walking up from Lion Camp we got to meet Cairo! She was out for a walk with a keeper and she is beautiful! What a love! What a bundle of energy! We all fell in love with her and her beautiful eyes! My son and grandson couldn't get enough of petting her and getting kisses! Watching her and Koza grow together will be amazing and wonderful! Looking forward to all the updates! Thank you again Marcia! Luv to All, Judy J
January 20th, 2006 at 1:54 pm
Thank you so much for the update. We were down at the Wild Animal Park the weekend before last, and we finally got to see the VERY handsome little Koza. We were thoroughly enchanted by him. In fact, we were so enchanted, we stood there for nearly an hour just watching him sleep! He had us wrapped around his paw
We can't wait to watch him grow before our eyes!
January 20th, 2006 at 3:31 pm
Thanks for the update. Please keep me updated on your two pretty babies.
January 21st, 2006 at 5:40 pm
I got to see both Koza and Cairo today, Koza at the care center, and Cairo while she was out for a walk, oh so cute!!
January 22nd, 2006 at 7:52 am
It sounds like Koza and Cairo will become great friends. I recently brought a new kitten into our home and my three adult cats all accepted the kitten when they were ready–for one cat it took 2 days, for another it took about a week, and the third adult needed about 3 weeks. All four are best buddies now! I anxiously await further updates about the new duo. What a cute pair.
January 23rd, 2006 at 7:10 am
Thanks for the great update and picture of Koza and Cairo. Too cute - too cute!!!!
Has the SDZ thought about putting together something on these two like Animal Planet did on the Pandas and birth of Tai at the Washington zoo? Following these two for say, their first year together and getting it on film for a TV show would be incredible!!!!! Especially since this is such a unique situation - a lion and a dog. Wow!
Thanks again and keep up the wonderful work.
January 24th, 2006 at 4:41 pm
Any update, Marcia? Has our little lion found his " roar" ? How is Cairo doing? Does she live at the WAP full-time?
January 25th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
Are there no other zoos in the United States that have lion cubs that Koza could socialize with or is the amount of time that he would need to do that so short that a dog is a sufficient playmate?
January 25th, 2006 at 7:09 pm
Cathie, we did try to locate a cub around Koza's age, but were unsuccessful. First choice would of course have been another lion as a playmate. We hope Cairo and Koza can stay together until he is old enough to be introduced to adult lions. So far things are going well, and Koza is becoming more comfortable with his canine companion every day.
January 28th, 2006 at 8:59 am
I can't wait to see pictures of these two dear little creatures playing together. Hope we will be able to see videos on line as well.
Just wish Toronto wasn't soooo far away, because I would be a frequent visitor to the zoo.
February 1st, 2006 at 7:19 am
This is an old blog area, but didn't know where else to enter this. Just saw (on the CNN website) these 2 babies playing. What a wonderful sight, and what a wonderful interlude for 2 beautiful creatures.
February 1st, 2006 at 9:31 am
I, too, just saw Koza and Cairo romping together in a TV video. Isn't it grand that these two babies are becoming friends and littermates? What a symbol that is; that two such diverse creatures, unaffected by adult instincts and prejudices, can be friends. Such a relatively small and momentary thing, but it makes me wish……
February 2nd, 2006 at 5:09 pm
Holy moly! This is wonderful to watch–the people in animal husbandry there are brilliant!
February 2nd, 2006 at 5:17 pm
Oh My God, I just saw the video of Koza and Cairo playing together. Way too cute :> It looks like they are fast becoming great friends. I would love to come and play with them, too. I am happy that they are good for one another, but it is going to be a really sad day when Koza outgrows his best friend.
Thanks and definitely keep us posted with videos and pictures.
February 2nd, 2006 at 6:48 pm
Thanks for the video! Our little Koza is growing up fast. Cairo is beautiful and looks up to the challenge of " lion's best friend" . Made my day!
February 3rd, 2006 at 12:10 pm
Thanks for the film. They're very cute, but doesn't the lion bite the dog or vice-verse?
February 3rd, 2006 at 5:06 pm
Amalia, good question. The answer is - yes! They are teaching each other bite inhibition. This is what puppies and kittens who have littermates learn - that there is " play" biting that is acceptable and results in more play, and that there is aggressive biting that brings the game to an abrupt halt. Learning the difference is key to getting along with other members of the pack/pride. That is why the two babies are so good for each other! They are helping each other to become socialized.
February 6th, 2006 at 9:22 am
My Mom (a docent at the Philadelphia zoo) and I (a loyal SDZ/WAP member) visited a few weeks ago, and my mom asked why can't Koza be re-introduced to his mom? I recognize the value of littermates, but what about moms?
Editor's note: You can read about the circumstances of Koza's birth and why he is being hand-raised in Marcia's blog, http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/index.php?p=197" >Lion Camp Update: A New Member of the Pride!
February 6th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
Where can we get more information on Cairo's rescue from the hurricane and how she came to be Koza's playmate? Was Cairo the only pup rescued or were there littermates?
Editor's note: You can read about Cairo in Marcia's blog, " http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/index.php?p=229" >A Companion for Koza."
February 11th, 2006 at 12:02 pm
I just adopted Cairo and Koza for Valentine's Day. Adorable pictures! Thank you for the opportunity to do a good thing for animals and get a joyful moment just by booting up the computer!
February 28th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
It has been a while since we have heard or seen any update on Koza and Cairo. Please post soon with an update on the growing friendship.
Thanks!