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Headline : Lion cubs are a girl, a girl and another girl.
Caption : Cincinnati Zoo's lion cubs are a girl, a girl and...another girl.
Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden’s three lion cubs, born November 13, 2014 to three-year-old mother “Imani” and four-year-old father “John,” got their first health checkup today. The Zoo’s veterinary staff and animal care team weighed the feisty felines, administered vaccines and determined that all cubs are female!
According to vet staff, the cubs are healthy and right on track with weights of 8.28kg, 9.24kg, and 9.68kg. The next big step will be to introduce John to Imani and the cubs.
Josh Charlton, Curator of Mammals said: “The introduction process has already begun. John and the cubs have had positive interactions during several nose-to-nose “howdy mesh” sessions in the past two weeks. We’ll continue to monitor their behavior and will put the pride together when the time is right.
"The three cubs behaved just as you would expect during their first wellness physical. Being handled by strange two-legged creatures who poked and examined them, all the while being separated from the safety and security of mom, the cubs hissed and tried to get away."
Now that genders are known, the cubs’ keepers are looking forward to not calling them cub #1, #2 and #3! The Zoo is inviting friends and followers to suggest names via Facebook and Twitter, using #CZBGLionCubs. A recent blog post, Lion Keeper’s Blog: Meet the Cubs!, by Wendy Rice describes the cubs’ personalities and could provide inspiration for name ideas.
Imani was born at the St. Louis Zoo and came to the Cincinnati Zoo as the result of a breeding recommendation from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Lion Species Survival Program (SSP). She was introduced to John earlier this year, and this is the first litter for both of them.
Lions are considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as the result of climate change, hunting and habitat loss. Following a review of the best available scientific information, on October 27, 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the African lion as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The agency’s analysis found that lions are in danger of extinction in the foreseeable future.
Thane Maynard, Executive Director of the Cincinnati Zoo, said: "African lions in the wild are disappearing at an alarming rate. These cubs will be great ambassadors for their species and inspire people to act for wildlife. We look forward to seeing the whole lion family out in the Africa exhibit together this spring.”

Credit: Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical GardenWENN.com
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