Taronga’s five new lion cubs make their public debut
Taronga Zoo’s new lion cubs have made their public debut and are now accepting visitors to their harbourside home in Mosman.
The five cubs, three females, named Malika, Zuri, and Ayanna, and two males, named Khari and Luzuko, were born to experienced mum Maya and first-time dad Ato on August 12, which also happened to be dad’s fourth birthday.
Once the cubs turned 12 weeks old, they were ready to be introduced to their new home, under the watchful eye of mum Maya, of course. It has been over 18 years since lion cubs were born at Taronga Zoo, and this litter marks the first time there has been an entire pride in the zoo’s African Savannah.
The cubs’ names are all Swahili, chosen by zoo supporters because of the lion’s African roots. Malika means ‘like a queen’, Zuri ‘beautiful’, and Ayanna ‘beautiful flower’, while Khari means ‘like a king’ and Luzuko, chosen by Taronga’s carnivore keepers, means ‘glory’.
Mum and the cubs will have access to their exhibit from 10 am to 2 pm each day, and dad will be in the exhibit from 2 pm onwards. The zoo explains that just like any newborns, the cubs have “bursts of activity followed by napping and cuddling”, so their limited access to the exhibit reflects this; the family needs private time for very important napping and bonding time!
This is the third litter for Maya, who was moved to Taronga from the zoo’s sister zoo in Dubbo last year, where she had lived since moving from a South African zoo in 2014.
Carnivore unit supervisor Louise Ginman said that the cubs are growing at a rapid rate, currently weighing between 11 and 13kg each, and they’re already developing their own unique personalities. “Our guests are going to be in for a real treat every time they come to visit and see the cubs - with so many milestones on the horizon, no two visits will be the same,” Ms Ginman said.
Image: Rick Stevens/Taronga Zoo, Cameron Spencer/Getty Images