Lion Cubs Get 2nd Checkup
Posted at 1:48 pm August 17, 2006 by Marcia Redding
Yes, there’s more news from Lion Camp at the Wild Animal Park! On Monday, Oshana’s cubs, Bakari and Abena (pictured with Mom), had their second veterinary checkup and received the second installation of their vaccines (see Marcia’s previous blog, Oshana’s Cubs Debut at Lion Camp). They were definitively sexed as females, as we suspected. These lion cubs have become very rowdy and confident little girls and did not take kindly to the vaccinations; we were loudly informed of their displeasure, but afterward both cubs consented to a consolation meal of carnivore diet. They are now consuming nearly a half pound (0.2 kilograms) per day, and are still nursing frequently.
They are coordinated enough now to climb onto the platform scale we use, so hopefully we will be able to weigh them every couple of weeks to track their growth. We will attempt this for the first time later this week. Bakari, Abena, and mom Oshana continue to be on exhibit every morning from 9:15 to 11 a.m. The cubs are now able to get up on the rocks in front of the big viewing window and have a great time watching all the guests.
Mina’s three cubs, now nearly a month old, continue to do well (see Marcia’s previous blog, More Happy News from Lion Camp). We appear to have two males and a female. The female was the last cub to be born and is also the smallest, but is very active and curious. Today, we shifted Mina to the room next to the maternity suite so we could do a quick cleanup. The cubs were in the room with us (Mina is much more laid back than Oshana was at this stage about being briefly separated from her litter). While my partner fed Mina some choice tidbits, I tidied up the den area. The last task was to clean out the drinker. As I bent over to remove the lid, a little furry body caught my eye. It was the female cub, come to see what I was doing. Her brothers remained sleeping in a corner. As she came close, I stroked her back and under her chin a little, which she seemed to enjoy. Eventually she made her way back to her brothers in the corner.
Amazingly, the little cub showed no fear whatsoever. We plan on handling Mina’s cubs more than we were able to do with Oshana’s litter, as Mina is so much more relaxed about us interacting with the cubs. Our little female cub made the first move! Hopefully, her brothers will be just as nonchalant as their sister when we begin to work with them.
These are exciting times at Lion Camp. I will be sure to post frequent updates!
Marcia Redding is a senior mammal keeper at the Wild Animal Park.
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August 17th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
Again, Marcia, thank you for the update on all of the cubs and to finally be able to tell us that Oshana has 2 girls. They certainly are growing up fast and I love watching them climb up on the rocks to watch all of us watching them; they certainly are little clowns.
Also, thanks for the update on Mina and her cubs; it is good to hear you are going to be interacting with the little cubs. Hopefully the brothers will be just as curious as their sister and interact with you. How exciting that we are blessed with 5 cubs and they all are doing well; can hardly wait to see Mina and her cubs out. The wait has been worth it. I will once again be up next week to see the cubs; they learn more and more everyday and I don’t want to miss seeing them.
Thanks to you all for a great job and for taking such good care of these cubs so we all can see them and appreciate god’s little creatures that we all have been blessed to see here at the Wild Animal Park.
August 17th, 2006 at 2:41 pm
That’s so awesome, Marcia, a true up-close-and-personal encounter. Thanks for all the continuing information.
August 17th, 2006 at 5:11 pm
Thanks for the update, Marcia! So happy to see that our babies are doing so well.
I love your account of your encounter with Mina’s smallest baby girl…what a curious little sweetie! Can’t wait to get more pics and updates…thanks again!!
August 18th, 2006 at 5:35 am
Marcia, I am so jealous!!! Give our littlest baby girl a scratch under the chin for me!
August 18th, 2006 at 6:42 am
Thank You, Marcia !! Love the continued updates, on both Oshana, Mina and their cubs!! Will Oshana’s and Mina’s cubs get to interact with each other at some point ? =)
August 18th, 2006 at 11:54 am
I will be making a second trip to the WAP this weekend to see Oshana and her cubs. And I can hardly wait to see Mina’s three cubs. What an adorable description of her curious little female cub. I feel as if I were observing this interaction and how much I wish I could.
August 18th, 2006 at 1:26 pm
I think it might have been impossible for me not to scoop up that little girl and give her cuddles and kisses – but I suppose that’s also not wise (but tempting none the less). I don’t think I ever really thought about the saying ” when God closes one door, he opens another” – but now I think he closed one door (our sweet little Koza) so that he could not only open another door – but every window in the house and bless us with 5 new babies!
August 18th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
i’m very happy to know that all 5 cubs are doing great but at the same time i’m still very sad about the loss of? Please answer my questions. i really want to know this stuff!
Koza. i followed him since day one. when will Mina and her litter go on display,will Bakari be renamed since they found out Bakari’s a girl, and last, will all five cubs maybe stay at the zoo
August 18th, 2006 at 1:46 pm
The Cubs are looking great, tell the lions that i said they are doing a great job looking after the cubs. you guys have a great job too!
August 18th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Marcia, thanks again for all your updates. I especially like your responses to our questions. I know in the past you said Bakari’s name would stay the same since it’s fitting for a female, as well, and she responds to her name in training. I was wondering what type of traing you do with them other then just teaching them behaviors such as stepping on the scales, etc.? At what age do you stop directly interacting with the cubs and work through the 3×3 steel mesh? Also has there been any decisions made about whether the five cubs and three adults will be on display, other than the age and size of Mina’s cubs allowing for safe negotiation of the exhibit? I know it will depend on the mothers’ comfort levels, but it sounds like Mina is much more laid back, so does that inflluence your decision making?
August 21st, 2006 at 8:53 am
Cheryl#7 what a beautiful thing to say. Koza is most likely looking down and giving a little roar to the new little ones. He will be in our hearts forever.
August 24th, 2006 at 7:49 am
did you experience watching both births?
August 30th, 2006 at 12:56 pm
Does the experience of Mina with Koza pose any added risks or concerns for her own cubs or those of Oshana? How close do the two groups of cubs get to each other? It is great that Mina had 3 little ones of her own. Would her pregnant state have influenced how she reacted to Koza?
What happened to Koza’s mother after his birth and her surgery? Will she be able to give birth naturally to a future litter as humans can?
August 31st, 2006 at 7:13 am
Good questions, Margaret #13. Yes, Ditto on those questions for me too. =)