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Updates From the Zoo's Lion Keepers: Family Visit
 Watch the cub cams | Adopt a lion

October 13

This afternoon, Naba let her cubs play outside of the birthing den in the presence of keepers, cousins, and Aunt Shera. This was the first time keepers have observed all of the cubs and both moms visiting at the howdy door! Cubs from both sides showed LOTS of interest in getting through the door. Naba appeared pretty comfortable letting them visit at the howdy, but she gave Shera’s cubs a low growl when they first approached, which we interpreted as a warning for them not to come closer (although they would not have been able to). Naba’s behavior of letting her sister and nieces/nephews interact so closely with her cubs is an indication that she may be ready to let them play with the rest of the group in the near future. Stay tuned to hear about their first encounter in the same den!

And just a reminder about tomorrow morning: Shera's cubs will be getting their second exam in the morning, so we will turn the cams off for a bit. Thanks for your patience!

October 12

We decided it was best to move Naba’s cubs to another set of cubbing dens for management reasons. This means that they may not be visible through the web cams during the next week or two. During the move, we gave each of the cubs a good once over, and got their weights. All of Naba’s cubs appear to be doing well; they now weigh about 9-9.5 pounds.

Shera and her cubs now have access to both sets of the cubbing dens with the web cams. They are now teething quite a bit and spend a good amount of time wrestling with each other. At their second exam, which will take place the morning of October 14, they will receive their first vaccinations. 

We hope our virtual visitors are enjoying this opportunity to learn about lion cub development and behavior, and also getting an idea of how lions are managed in captivity.   

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