Only months after adding an infant red panda to its menagerie, the Henry Vilas Zoo continues to be a destination to interact with baby animals as the zoo celebrates the birth of a rare African lion cub.
Zoo Director Jim Hubing said the male cub, born in late December to parents Henry and Vilas, will be a great addition to the zoo’s population.
The birth of the cub marks an important step in the zoo’s continuing participation in the African Lion Species Survival Plan with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
According to Hubing, there are currently only 100 African lions inhabiting AZA zoos.
Hubing said the new cub continues to do extremely well and has nearly doubled its birth weight, a positive sign for the cub’s health during a crucial period of development.
“During the first 30 days, we take a lot of care to make sure everything’s right,” Hubing said. “Vilas is a very good mom and is aggressively protective.”
Because of this motherly instinct, Hubing said only two lion keepers are permitted to have limited contact with the new cub.
He added the cub would likely join the outdoor public exhibit sometime in April, depending on how the cub is progressing.
He also said the zoo will host a naming contest in the coming months, allowing the public to vote on four potential names for the cub.
Shane Elsinger, a lion keeper at Henry Vilas Zoo, said zookeepers remain somewhat reserved despite the initial good health report and hope to see the animal’s progress continue.
Elsinger said the cub initially requires only the care of his mother, and though employees continue to monitor the situation, lion keepers only enter the compound one or two times a week to weigh the cub.
He also said because the cub is the offspring of two individuals originally from Africa, his genetics are extremely valuable to the captive population.
This trait will likely result in AZA recommending a transfer for the cub at around one year of age, possibly as early as fall 2011, he added.
Though the cub is still several months away from a public debut, Elsinger said visitors to the zoo would likely respond warmly to the new lion.
“It’s somewhat of a rare occurrence and is important to the lion world, and I think visitors will understand that,” Elsinger said.
Not everyone agrees with Elsinger’s positive outlook on captive breeding, however.
Rick Bogle, co-director of Alliance for Animals, said the practice of breeding animals in zoos is inherently inhumane, and large animals living in captivity are often prone to serious health concerns, such as joint and bone disorders.
“You only need to go to the zoo to recognize that they are not well off and are showing signs of mental duress,” Bogle said.
He said any new animal born in a zoo will never see the wild, and zoos simply use baby animals as a tool to entice visitors.