CATCH A RARE SIGHTING OF TORONTO ZOO'S WHITE LION CUBS IN SPECIAL BEHIND THE SCENES AREA!
Photo Credit: Ken Ardill / Toronto Zoo
WHITE LION CUBS VIEWING AREA 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM DAILY*
TORONTO, ON, Friday, December 18, 2015: Catch a rare sighting of the Toronto Zoo's four male white lion cubs in a special behind the scenes area, opening Saturday, December 19, 2015, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm daily, weather permitting! Located in the African Savanna (behind the African Lion Exhibit) the White Lion Cubs Viewing Area is currently home to all four cubs and is also known as their transitioning den. This temporary exhibit serves as an outdoor transitioning den for these young cubs, where they will be able to get more exercise, play and explore within a safe and warm environment. It also provides the very important opportunity for these cubs to socialize and bond with the other adult white lions, Lemon and Fintan. As the cubs grow older, and have increased interest in running and playing about, they will move into a larger exhibit area.
The cubs will be given access to the White Lion Cubs Viewing Area from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm daily. This outdoor viewing area includes elevated platforms for the cubs, along with weather protection wind shields and a 24 foot long radiant heater, to keep our lions warm during the winter months. As the cubs are still young and the weather conditions varying, all the lions will be given access to both their indoor and outdoor exhibit throughout the day. Accordingly, Zoo staff cannot guarantee a cub sighting.
Makali, a four year old female white lion, gave birth to four cubs; two cubs on Saturday, September 26, 2015 and two cubs on Sunday, September 27, 2015. As a first-time mom, zoo keepers were delighted at Makali's strong maternal instincts in raising her cubs naturally. In the wild,a mother introduces her cubs to the pride at six to eight weeks. Zoo staff are following this natural cycle and have been slowly introducing mother and her cubs to the pride. Makali and Fintan (father) are both four years old and this is their first litter of cubs.
"The birth of Makali's cubs is a great opportunity to spread the word on the plight of African lions in the wild," says Maria Franke, Curator of Mammals, Toronto Zoo. "As one of the Zoo's key mandates is to educate visitors on current conservation issues and help preserve biodiversity, these cubs help highlight the importance of lion conservation and what is being done to preserve this magnificent species in Africa. The Toronto Zoo supports lion conservation efforts in the wild through the Toronto Zoo Endangered Species Reserve Fund."
The African lions’ current range extends from south of the Sahara Desert to South Africa. Their habitat varies from the grasslands of east Africa to the sands of the Kalahari Desert. Lions are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. There has been up to a 30% to 50% decline of wild lion populations over the past two decades and this decline will continue if conservation efforts are not put in place.
They may be the King of the Beasts, but they are in great danger from their main enemy: humans. Lions are losing ground to people in Africa. With less and less land and prey available to them, they sometimes resort to killing livestock. To protect their livestock, farmers shoot and poison the lions. Disease, such as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), bovine tuberculosis and canine distemper, spread by domestic animals, is also having a negative effect on wild lion populations.
Regional conservation strategies have been developed for lions in west and central Africa and eastern and southern Africa. These strategies include reducing lion-human conflict, and to conserve and increase lion habitat and wild prey base.
CLICK HERE for more information on the Zoo's White Lion Cubs!
*weather permitting
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