Lion Cubs Meet Dad!
Posted at 9:12 am September 22, 2006 by Marcia Redding
Thursday, September 21, was a milestone in the lives of our Lion Camp pride. For the past several weeks, we have been introducing Izu, the male, to his 4-month-old offspring. Dad and cubs have been able to interact through a mesh divider inside the bedroom area. He has shown much interest in his cubs, attempting to groom and play with them through the wire. No aggression has been seen, and Oshana, the cubs' mother, has been glad to see her mate and interact with him. She has shown no concern when the cubs have visited Izu through the mesh.
On Thursday, we removed the divider and allowed the family to be together for the first time. Izu eagerly ran to greet the cubs; Oshana used a few snarls and whacks with her paws to make sure he knew to approach slowly. The cubs, initially shy, began to tolerate Izu's curiosity; occasionally they would assume a submissive posture, but for the most part seemed pretty comfortable with their father as long as he made no quick movements. Bakari did hiss and strike at Izu once when he came too close for comfort; Izu immediately went into reverse, with a shocked look on his face.
Things were going well; the decision was made to let the family out into the exhibit. Izu remained very interested in the cubs, following them and attempting to play with them. Oshana was more protective of her offspring while outside; she made sure Izu kept his distance at first. Abena and Bakari also stuck closer to mom than usual. Eventually, everyone relaxed, and after a hour or so all were resting in the grass close to each other. Bakari, the boldest of the two cubs, went so far as to climb up on Izu's back and play with his mane. Izu put up with this for a minute or two, and then stood up slowly, dumping Bakari off. Oshana watched this move closely, ready to spring if she thought her cub was in danger. Izu made a point of slowly moving off, deliberately not looking at Bakari, so mom would realize he meant no harm. Several times, Oshana greeted Izu with an affectionate face rub; she was glad to be back with her mate, as long as he continued to behave appropriately with the cubs.
After several hours on exhibit, we called everyone back inside. We were able to separate Oshana and the cubs from Izu; Izu willingly went back outside on his own. Two tired cubs had a snack and sacked out for a long nap. Oshana was also ready for a rest. It had been a very exciting morning!
For now, the plan is to have Izu and his pride on exhibit in the morning, until at least 11 a.m. Eventually they will be together for longer periods of time, until they are all out together for most of the day. We are very proud of Izu. He showed impeccable manners with his cubs and has proven himself to be an excellent father by cooperating with Oshana and allowing her to dictate his behavior with the cubs. Come and visit, and enjoy watching our new family unit!
Marcia Redding is a senior mammal keeper at the Wild Animal Park.
Read Marcia's previous blog about Abena and Bakari, Lion Cubs Get 2nd Checkup.
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September 22nd, 2006 at 9:18 am
How wonderful! And what a beautiful, detailed description. I feel as though I were there. I can hardly wait to visit again and observe this beautiful family.
September 22nd, 2006 at 9:37 am
What a great blog! It warms my heart and puts a smile on my face to think of baby playing with dad's mane. What fun! Any chance of that caught on video? Yea Izu for being a good daddy!
September 22nd, 2006 at 11:58 am
Congratulations to the pride and the keepers! A successful union of a pride is a beautiful thing, and a definite accomplishment. It must be very satisfying seeing a whole " family" together enjoying each other's company and being lions as a unit. It must have been something for Izu being a new " dad" to have a cub crawling on his back and playing with his mane. He must have great patience and a warm feeling to be so careful with the cubs. Oshana has learned to be slightly more relaxed to allow the interaction to take place as well.
We look forward to hearing more about the pride as the cubs grow.
September 22nd, 2006 at 1:13 pm
Thanks so much, Marcia, for sharing this important event with us. I saw the cubs out playing a week or so ago, and now can't wait to get back to the Park to see the whole pride together.
September 22nd, 2006 at 1:23 pm
Didn't know that lion dads played a role in their children's lives. I've learned so much from these blogs!
September 22nd, 2006 at 3:56 pm
Congratulations on the wonderful event with Izu and his family finally being able to spend time together. Izu certainly is a King of this pride and he just proved it by being a great Dad, letting his playful cubs play with his mane and climb all over him. I can't wait to see them together. I am sure it is a true treasure to behold to see them all together and for Oshana to see Izu again and be so willing to let Dad see his cubs. Thanks, Marcia, for this wonderful news.
September 22nd, 2006 at 6:07 pm
How beautiful! Marcia, thank you sooooo much for your vivid descripition of this heartwarming reunion. I love how sweet and lovable daddy Izu is - and what a good one too! And I love how momma gave him a few 'hints' on how to approach his widdle babies…
So wonderful that they're able to bond so smoothly. And I couldn't help but smile at Izu and Oshana's happy romance. This is awesome - please update us again soon! 
September 23rd, 2006 at 7:38 pm
Yay! That picture and your weblog made me misty-eyed, Marcia! I can't wait to see them all together out there. The lion keepers must be so proud to have helped this natural progression go smoothly at Lion Camp.
Yippee!
September 25th, 2006 at 10:26 am
What a beautiful story - it brought tears to my eyes - and the picture is amazing! What an amazing experience - can't wait to see them - I almost feel like part of their pride! Thank you so much for the update - it made my day!!
September 28th, 2006 at 8:52 pm
Yes, yes, yes!!! I'm so happy for the SDWAP, and their success in bringing Izu, Oshana and their cubs together.
I wish I could experience this as the keepers had!! Congratulations, I'm laughing and tearing at the same time.
Can't thank you enough for keeping us updated!!! So awesome! =)
September 29th, 2006 at 9:30 am
I am a latecomer to this particular blog and was surprised to see the whole family on exhibit when visiting Lion Camp on the 27th. Izu had such a proud stance about him–he must know that those cubs are his. Izu was gentle with the cubs as they played and Oshana was watchful, yet seemingly relaxed. I captured a few photos while visiting and I am glad I did. The cubs are going to grow quickly!
September 29th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
i think it's wonderful the way you introduce the little ones to the adults. i live in Alabama and am unable to visit personally but i do on the internet. i wish you had more animals featured on the cameras. i would love to see the lion cubs
September 29th, 2006 at 10:11 pm
Please show those little " gems" on webcam real soon….
October 1st, 2006 at 3:33 am
so sweet , father and his whole family. i live in brazil and i won´t see personally the cubs, but i l will look forward to see more photos and videos about the cubs !
October 1st, 2006 at 1:01 pm
This Site is such a joy, I can't tell you the pleasure it brings. Living on the East Coast makes it difficult to visit, but I'm able to share in the excitement because of your weekly updates. The Lion Camp is a particular favourite. I have been a fan of Joan Embry since the first time she appreared on the Tonight Show years ago, and the San Diego Zoo is my dream destination.
October 1st, 2006 at 4:30 pm
What a wonderful feeling to read of the uniting of a father with his mate and cubs. Being a big cat lover brought tears to my eyes to see Izu so gentle with the little one. I hope that I will hear more about this family as the cubs mature in the circle of live.
October 2nd, 2006 at 6:20 am
I really enjoyed reading about that. Thank you.
October 24th, 2006 at 10:20 am
Hello Lion Camp Keepers,
Been enjoying those beautiful lions even when there were only the 6 youngsters (from the 2 prides) a few years back. Now, we are really having fun watching the cubs from Oshana and Izu –
However, been recently noticing (we visit this exhibit quite often) that Oshana has begun pacing near the glass. Not being an animal keeper, I was a bit concerned. Do we know why this behavior occurs from her? Does she want off exhibit? Is she trying to tell us she wants to visit her sister Mina and the cubs? I honestly don't know, but watching her pace constantly caused alarm. Normally, we see very wonderful interaction between her, her 2 cubs and Izu but things are different lately.
Would appreciate anything you can do to shed light on this situation — Thanks very much!
October 25th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
Deb, I understand your concern. Depending on what time you were at Lion Camp, Oshana was most probably anticipating a daily event, such as a keeper talk or training session. Also, for a long time the cubs weren't up to being on exhibit all day, and we would bring them inside at 11:00 AM and give them a snack. Oshana still gets excited at 11:00, even though it has been months since this has happened. In general, she is very relaxed on exhibit except for these times. She also will pace when supper time approaches. Most lions are not patient when it comes to food! Oshana, the cubs, and Izu are able to socialize with Mina and her cubs overnight in the house, through an introduction screen. This behavior would be more worrisome if she was pacing simply because it had become a habit, due to boredom. This is not the case - it would be tough to be bored with two lively cubs to look after!
December 1st, 2006 at 2:35 pm
It is so cute that the father wanted to play with his cubs! I live in New York, but I can't wait to come and see the pride on my Spring Break (I'm in second grade).