Both African lion cubs born July 17th at the North Carolina Zoo were
determined to be females during their first physical exams conducted as
they reached one month of age. Dr. Barbara Wolfe, the zoo’s senior
veterinarian, said determining the sex of large cats in the first few
weeks of development is difficult, but Wolfe is confident they are
females.
The veterinarian added that the two youngsters seem to be healthy and
doing well. Their weights are 8.6 and 11 pounds--a discrepency in size
that’s common among lion litters, she said.
The two cubs represent the first birth of lions at the state zoo since
1983. The mother is a five-year old female who arrived at the N.C. Zoo
from the Sedgewick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas, in November
2002. The first-time father is also five years old and arrived in
Asheboro in March 2001 from the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, Illinois.
Despite their progress, the cubs will remain in their off-exhibit
holding area for several more weeks before being put on exhibit.
Meanwhile, the father will remain on exhibit in the Lion Exhibit in the
zoo’s African region.
