The Woodland Park Zoo is “bursting with pride,” officials said, after the birth of two female South African lions.
The pair of sand-colored cubs, marked with speckles of dark fur across their heads, were born about nine hours apart Jan. 14 to first-time parents, mother Ilanga and father Tandie. It’s the first time lions have been born at the zoo since 2014, zoo officials announced Friday.
“As a first-time mother, Ilanga so far is doing a terrific job and is resting and bonding with the cubs,” said Martin Ramirez, curator of mammalogy, in a statement.
“Our animal care staff will be monitoring both mom and cubs closely for signs of normal behavior and development over the next several weeks,” Ramirez added.
Ilanga and her cubs are currently living in the off-view maternity den where they can rest and bond in comfortable, quiet surroundings. Tandie remains separated from the cubs and mother until the cubs are older.
In a video posted by the zoo on social media, Ilanga can be seen snuggling and nursing her cubs. Officials said they plan to share more photos and videos of the cubs in the future. Names have not been announced for the new cubs.
The cubs will need to be a bit older and demonstrate solid mobility skills before they’re introduced to public view, officials said. The outdoor temperature also needs to be at least 50 degrees before the cubs roam outside.
The sister cubs represent the third-generation lineage at Woodland Park Zoo.
Tandie, born in 2014 with two other male cubs, was fathered by Xerxes, a South African lion known for his big mane and chatty personality who lived at the zoo until he was euthanized in 2022 due to kidney failure. Later that year, Tandie — who had been living at the Oakland Zoo — returned to the Seattle zoo and began living at the African Savanna lion habitat with Ilanga.
Lion cubs typically weigh 2.2 to 3.5 pounds at birth and are born blind, opening their eyes within a week or two.
Zoo veterinarians will perform health checkups every couple of weeks for weight monitoring, vaccinations, and blood and fecal sampling.
Woodland Park Zoo officials said the birth of the sister cubs is a major victory for the Lion Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program coordinated through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
“We’re looking forward to establishing a new pride here and celebrating this incredible legacy of lions at Woodland Park Zoo,” Ramirez said in a statement.
