Lion Cubs Get Ready For Debut At Denver Zoo
DENVER (CBS4)- Three lion cubs are getting ready to make their public debut at the Denver Zoo this week.
The three lion cubs are from the Royal Family of Qatar. The trio, males Tsavo and Enzi, and female, Sabi, were born June 24 and are currently making their home at the Denver Zoo.
The siblings will likely only live at the zoo for a short time until permanent homes can be found.
The triplet cubs are making their home in Predator Ridge and depending on weather they may be available for public viewing on Friday.
This is the first time the Denver Zoo has had lion cubs since 2006.
WEB EXTRA: Lion Cubs Video
The trio was donated by Sheik Khalid Hamad Al Thani, son of Qatar's ruling emir. He received the cubs' parents as a gift from the country of Sudan a few years ago.
The lions bred and the female died after a difficult birth. With the lion family having doubled in size, the sheik contacted zoos in the U.S. that could better meet the needs of this lion pride.
The cubs will reside at Denver Zoo until they are larger and their long-term plan has been determined. The zoo's Predator Ridge exhibit is already home to six adult lions, three males and three females.
The Denver Zoo does not have enough room for all their lions and the cubs.
The cubs are not related to any lions in AZA zoos and do not share any recent African ancestry, thus providing valuable unique genetics for shared breeding programs.
LINK: denverzoo.org
