Lion cubs lucky to have such a great mom

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications

Mom Adia doesn't get to rest much with four cubs, but she's as sharp as ever when it comes to watching out for them. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.

Last week the lion cubs got their first access to the full lion exhibit that includes the watery moat. That moat was a concern for us when the cubs were still small and developing their coordination skills, which is why they were only recently given access to the area. Now that the cubs have the run of the exhibit, keepers have been watching Adia closely to make sure that she’s not too overwhelmed by trying to look after four rambunctious cubs across a large space and near that moat.

The moat is in the forefront as the cubs play with mom on the heated rock. Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.

But momma proved to us this weekend that we never needed to doubt her ability to be in charge. When she was playing with a ball the other day, it got away from her and rolled into the water. The cubs rushed to the moat to get it, but with great speed, Adia headed them off, retrieved the ball herself, carried it over to a dry area and dropped it down for them to play with, masterfully keeping the cubs far away from the water the whole time. She doesn't miss a beat and proved to us that she's well equipped to watch out for the cubs no matter the circumstances!

Adia reminds one feisty cub who the real boss is. Photo by Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo.

One of the great pleasures of seeing the cubs in person is seeing them interact with mom and watching her watch over them. Kudos to a good mom who is always in charge!

What will this cub's name be? Soon we'll announce the names for all four cubs! Photo by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo.

So what's up next for the cubs? The naming contest has closed and we're now going through the 2,000+ entries we received. Soon the judging panel will pick their favorites, and we'll announce the names of the cubs shortly. Stay tuned!