It’s a Grrrl: Pittsburgh Zoo Welcomes Newest Tenant
The birth of a female African lion cub is a win for the zoo’s conservation efforts.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PITTSBURGH ZOO & AQUARIUM
African lions are considered vulnerable in the wild, but the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium has just welcomed one more to the den.
On May 19, the organization announced that a female African lion cub was born on Sunday, April 5, to nine-year-old parents: mother Scarlett and father Hondo. The cub is expected to make her public debut in late summer — she has to be a bit older and demonstrate strong mobility skills before she can be introduced into the public lion habitat — but zoo officials say the six-week old cub is healthy and happy.
“The cub is doing great and exceeding milestones,” says assistant curator of mammals Karen Vacco. “Scarlett is an excellent mother and has been caring for the cub well.”
Vacco adds that animal care staff are carefully monitoring healthy nursing patterns and normal maternal behavior. The zoo hasn’t yet revealed the cub’s name.
Scarlett and her cub are currently residing away from public view in a maternity den where they can bond in comfortable, quiet surroundings. This reflects natural behavior where lionesses seek secluded shelter to protect their young until they are strong enough to join the pride, officials say.
The birth of the cub is a major victory for the Association of Zoos & Aquarium’s Lion Species Survival Plan, a nationwide effort to ensure genetic diversity among animals in human care. African lions are a vulnerable species in the wild, facing threats from habitat loss, conflict with humans and declining prey. According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are only about 23,000 African lions left in the wild — a 30% decline since 2006 and a 90% decline from a century ago. At the current rate of habitat loss and poaching, African Impact estimates that African lions could be completely extinct by 2050.
The birth and successful development of the cub is a positive step for conservation efforts and the future of the species, zoo officials say. The last lion births at the Pittsburgh Zoo were in July 2020, when three cubs were born to lioness Abana.
The zoo says it will regularly share news of the cub’s development on its social media pages (@pghzoo) as the summer progresses.
