These lion cub sisters were born on March 20 at Busch Gardens. Photo by Busch Gardens.
Busch Gardens welcomed three little lions recently. Two female cubs were born on March 20, and an unrelated male cub was born on February 20. All the cubs have genetic lines from the Kalahari and Kruger regions of South Africa, where lions are recognized for their large size and impressive manes on the males.
In the wild, lions once inhabited most of Africa and parts of Asia and Europe. Now around 20,000-30,000 of these big cats live in sub-Saharan Africa, mostly in protected reserves. The SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund supports several projects in Africa, which work to protect and preserve the species.
The National Zoo in Washington D.C. is host to seven lion cubs! The first four lion cubs were born to lioness Shera on August 31 while the second three cubs were born to Shera’s sister Naba on September 22. The cubs made their public debut at the zoo late last week and can now be seen outside everyday around 12:30 pm for about an hour, weather permitting.
Photos by Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian’s National Zoo
(See more photos at the Smithsonian’s Flickr page.)
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the lion cubs from when they were first born to their public debut in the video below:
You can also catch live footage of the lion cubs using the National Zoo’s Lion Cub Cam. (If you don’t want to sign up for their e-newsletter, click the red X on the top right of the video box. You may also need to install a plugin depending on what browser you’re using.)
Monday, December 6 kicks off Big Cat Week on the Nat Geo WILD channel — seven nights of programs dedicated to the world’s fiercest felines. The event is an extension of the Big Cats Initiative, a long-term commitment by the National Geographic Society and Nat Geo WILD to stop poaching, save habitat, and raise the call that big steps are needed to save big cats around the world.
Photo by Beverly Joubert
Don’t miss the premieres of these films:
Big Cat Odyssey: Monday, December 6, at 9pm ET/PT
Award-winning filmmakers and National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert set out 30 years ago on a quest to get close to big cats. Big Cat Odyssey chronicles their meticulous work over three decades of filming, photographing and documenting the behavior of big cat species in Botswana.
Photo by Beverly Joubert
The video below depicts the attack of a buffalo by a whole pride of lions.
Leopard Queen: Tuesday, December 7, at 9pm ET/PT
Filmmaker John Varty, who filmed a wild female leopard for 17 years, opens an extraordinary window into the lives of Africa’s most secretive big cat. Leopard Queen follows the life of “Manana,” a wild leopard whose territory spans the heart of the Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa.
Photo by Susanne Baden
In the video below, watch Manana as a cub, exploring the world around her and learning essential survival skills.
Lion Warriors: Wednesday, December 8, at 9pm ET/PT
In the Great Plains below Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya, Maasai warriors have a centuries-old tradition of killing the lions that kill their cattle. But now only about 2000 lions are left in the country (and the number is dropping), so Maasai elders and chiefs have forbidden the warriors to kill them. Wildlife filmmaker Kire Godal, with the support of executive producers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, captures firsthand the struggle of these modern-day warriors, who are reinventing their traditions to help save the lions they once prided themselves on killing.
Photo by Richard Jones
The video below shows the initiation of two Maasai teens where they will officially become warriors and men.
Lions on the Edge: Thursday, December 9, at 9PM ET/PT
Ruaha National Park in Tanzania used to be a true paradise for wildlife gathered around the rich Ruaha riverbanks. Now, the worst drought in decades is pushing all the animals on a march to find water. The animals follow the dry riverbed upstream for water, while circling prides of lions position themselves close by, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Watch the hunting strategies of the lion pride as they attack a herd of zebras in the video below.
Also featured during Big Cat Week are two specials that take place in Botswana’s Okavango Delta: Eye of the Leopard, which captures the life of a female leopard, from cub to feared predator, and Relentless Enemies, which focuses on the fight for survival of highly specialized lions that prey almost exclusively on buffalo.
Kevin Richardson, a self-taught animal behaviorist, introduces you life on a lion compound in Lion Ranger, premiering tonight September 6, 2010 at 9pm ET/PT on Nat Geo Wild. In the first episode, we meet Kaiser’s Pride, the biggest pride in the Kingdom of the Great White Lion and home to three rare white lions.
In the video below, Kevin receives three new young lions and welcomes them into the compound. Will the rest of the lions be as accepting?
Watch a video of the new lions meeting a special member of Bandit’s pride:
In this video, a lion cub is found dead in the enclosure. What was the cause of such a violent death?
A new lion cub is born at Space Farms Zoo in Sussex
Space Farms Zoo and Museum in Sussex, New Jersey is the home of the newest member of a rare species of lion. The cub, Siren, was born 10 weeks ago. He is the fifth generation of Atlas lion to live at the zoo.
Atlas lions, known for the black manes on the males, are extinct in the wild. There are fewer than 100 in zoos worldwide.
Crittercam provides a fascinating look into the behavior of several kinds of animals including penguins, seals, sea turtles, sharks, lions, bears, and more. Using cameras attached to various animals, scientists were able to gather data about hunting techniques, social norms, and daily activity that had previously eluded them. The exhibit provides video footage captured by the animals along with explanatory text and a few fun facts about the animals discussed.
But the exhibit also delves into the technology and methodology of Crittercam. There are models of animals showing how the special cameras were attached and adapted to a particular animal’s lifestyle.
For example, the soft, flexible shells of leatherback sea turtles did not allow the camera to be attached by an adhesive. Instead, a suction cup was applied to the central plate of the turtle’s shell.
Using videos, photos, life-size models, and computer kiosks, the exhibit appeals to an audience of all ages and interests. So if you live in or plan to visit the Boston area, be sure to visit Crittercam at the Museum of Science, which runs through August 30.
During our visit, the museum made an exciting announcement (delivered by an owl) about a very special international exhibition that will open in Boston on October 25, 2009 called Harry Potter: The Exhibition.
Fans of Harry Potter will soon get the chance to immerse themselves in the wizarding world. Artifacts and costumes from the latest Harry Potter films will be displayed in a 10,000-sq. ft. space.
But the exhibit also delves into the technology and methodology of Crittercam. There are models of animals showing how the special cameras were attached and adapted to a particular animal’s lifestyle.
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