Zoo’s “Pride Is Growing” with Four Baby Lions

TYLER — Tyler’s Caldwell Zoo welcomes four young additions to its animal family. On January 22nd, Njeri, the zoo’s female African lion, gave birth to five lion cubs. One youngster died shortly after birth, but the remaining four are doing very well under the watchful eye of their mom, according to a zoo news release. Officials at the zoo say staff is being careful not to disturb this new family, but at this point, officials say they know that the cubs’ eyes are open, the little ones weigh about four pounds, and there are three females and one male.

The proud parents of the four youngsters are mom Njeri (name is Kenyan for “daughter of a warrior”), who was born July 25, 2011, and was donated to Caldwell Zoo by the Milwaukee County Zoo; and dad Ayotunde (name means “joy has returned” in Yoruba), who was born July 28, 2011 and comes to Tyler from the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson.

African lion babies are usually born after a gestation of 100-110 days. Youngsters weigh 2-3 pounds at birth. Cubs appear rather wooly, and have a coat with spots which may remain through adulthood. By three months of age, the cubs are very mobile and will follow mom wherever she goes.

Lions are the only member of the cat family that lives in a family called a pride. In the wild a pride would consist of a closed society of lionesses (usually related) and one to four males who must fight to maintain their positions in the pride.