Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is excited to announce that the lion cubs will make their grand debut to the public on Wednesday, July 31, 2019.
After a community supported naming contest, the cubs have been named Karoo, Ruaha, and Chobe, after three national parks in South Africa. The cubs are thriving and the introduction to their father, Masamba, went very well. Naples Zoo is excited to invite the community out to meet lion cubs for the first time in over 30 years.
The cubs were born May 14, 2019 to first time mother Shani. Shani and her mate, Masamba, were specifically matched by the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s Species Survival Plan® (SSP). The SSP is a cooperatively managed breeding program that works to create sustainable populations of threatened and endangered species.
African lions are classified as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Overall lion numbers continue to decline due to illegal hunting, reductions in prey populations, and habitat loss.
