LINCOLN PARK — The Lincoln Park Zoo’s African lion pride just got a little bit bigger.
A cub was born at the zoo Tuesday, marking the first time an African lion cub has been born there in 20 years, according to a zoo news release.
The cub’s sex is not yet known, and it has not been named. Its mother is Zari, a 3-year-old African lioness, and its father is Jabari, who is 4.
Lion cubs typically open their eyes within a few days of being born. The cub will “become more mobile and curious” and begin to explore its surroundings in the coming weeks, according to the zoo.
See the cub:
It’s a milestone moment for the zoo, which reopened its lion house and welcomed back lions just in October. It had been closed for two years before then as the zoo sought to improve the big cats’ habitat.
“This cub’s arrival signifies the lion pride, which arrived at the zoo this past fall, feel at home in their new habitat and are receiving the best possible care,” said Mike Murray, the zoo’s curator of mammals.
The cub and Zari will remain behind the scenes, not visible to the public, for the next several months.
Zari and Jabari were born at other zoos, but they moved to Lincoln Park Zoo when its lion house reopened in the fall.
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