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Contest: Name the cubs!

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications
Two of Woodland Park Zoo’s quadruplet lion cubs need names, and we need your help! Enter the naming contest for a chance to win an amazing zoo prize pack, including a private viewing at the lion exhibit with a zookeeper!

We’re in search of Zulu or Sotho names for one male cub and one female cub. The languages reflect a part of the range where South African lions live. A judging panel of zoo staff will select the cubs’ names from your submissions. The other two cubs will also receive Zulu or Sotho names, this time chosen by zookeepers and long-time zoo donors who have helped bring big cats to Woodland Park Zoo.

Need some inspiration? Here is a little bio on each of the two cubs to spark some ideas.

Male cub. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.

This male cub likes to rough around with his brother and often finds himself in mud. When not chasing his brother, sisters or mom, he can usually be spotted jumping on logs and wrestling sticks. He needs a name. What would you name him?

Female cub. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.
 
This female cub is playful and curious, and is usually among the first to investigate new experiences. She spends a lot of time with her mom and sister, when not being chased by her brothers. She needs a name. What would you name her?

Now research Zulu or Sotho names that you think fit these cubs and send in your submission by March 15, 5:00 p.m. PST. Head to the contest page to submit your official entry.

With two cubs to name, there are two chances to win! The person who submits the winning male name and the person who submits the winning female name will each take home a grand prize package featuring:

  • A private viewing at the lion exhibit with a keeper
  • One-year Woodland Park Zoo Annual Pass Family membership
  • ZooParent lion cub adoption
  • Framed photograph of the lion cub
  • A $100 gift card to Play it Again Sports, Seattle, courtesy of Play it Again Sports

Will you help us spread the word? Use hashtag #namethecubs on Twitter and Instagram to tell your friends about the contest. Are you on Pinterest? Pin the image below to your Pinterest boards and direct your friends back to this blog post or to www.zoo.org/namethecubs.


If you are on the search for Zulu or Sotho names, we recommend starting with an Internet search or talking to your local librarian for help. By choosing names from the Zulu or Sotho languages, we’re opening a dialogue with our visitors about the part of the world these South African lions are native to, which allows us to talk about what is happening with lions in the wild. The African lion is the only big cat not protected under the Endangered Species Act. As few as 32,000 African lions are estimated to remain in the wild and their future remains uncertain, particularly as the growth in human population continues to impact lion populations.

Through the zoo’s Wildlife Survival Fund, Woodland Park Zoo supports the Ruaha Carnivore Project through the Lion Species Survival Plan Conservation Campaign. The project works in Tanzania to mitigate human conflict with lions and other large carnivores that share the Ruaha landscape, while collecting baseline data on lion populations to help shape lion and large carnivore conservation. Learn more about the zoo’s collaboration with the Ruaha Carnivore Project, and remember that every visit to the zoo helps save wildlife by making this kind of conservation work possible. Thank you.

Comments

Unknown said…
name them chiba nona cari and po just some suggestions