Celebrate A Lion Cub Birthday At The Oklahoma City Zoo

Tuesday, May 20, the Oklahoma City Zoo is celebrating a special day for five little African lion cubs: Hugo, Henri, Lou, Pascal, and Herman. They're celebrating their first birthday at OKC Zoo and guests will have unique opportunities thanks to the occasion. 

Starting at 9:30 a.m., caretakers for the lions will be feeding the cubs and another lioness different enrichment items, such as pumpkins, cantelopes and "lion approved toys," according to OKC Zoo’s Curator of Carnivore, Tyler Boyd. The feeding will happen inside their exhibit in Exhibition Africa. 

Oklahoma's zoo has contributed greatly to the African lion population, which is currently classified as vulnerable. Through the years, not only has the OKC celebrated up to 21 lion cub births, but they've worked extensively to curate programs designed to enrich these animals' lives.

What can guests expect with the cubs' enrichment feeding?

Although guests may not be able to feed the lion cubs themselves, they'll able to see the cubs vibrant personalities and wicked natural hunting skills come alive. Boyd explained that the cubs love to interact, especially with their siblings and sticks on the ground.

"These days, the cubs will interact with anything that they can tear up or sink their teeth into," he said. 

According to OKC Zoo staff, the cubs are "thriving and healthy," with thickening manes that will continue to darken as they get older. 

How does the Oklahoma City Zoo contribute to last remaining lions in Africa?

According to the IUCN, there are only 40,000 mature adult lions left in Africa, making their population vulnerable. Because of  illegal hunting, habitat loss, loss of food sources and conflict with humans, there are less lions in Africa than there are in the entire town of Owasso, Oklahoma. 

The Oklahoma City Zoo is an active participant in conservation efforts that focus on mitigating human-wildlife conflict by providing farmers with resources such as predator-deterrent enclosures and livestock guard dogs which reduces conflict with lions, African painted dogs, cheetahs, and other predators.

They also partnered with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) on their Lion SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction program, specifically created to save the lions. Now, we have the lions Dunia and Hubert to thank for the many cubs they've brought into the world in the safety of the Oklahoma City Zoo.

Visitors can purchase tickets to visit the Oklahoma City Zoo here.