Feisty New Lion Cubs Explore Safari Park Habitat

The cubs were born on June 22 to lioness mother Oshana

For the first time, four little African lion cubs ventured onto the turf that is to be their home inside the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

The tiny fur balls – one male and three females – timidly followed their mother Oshana into the new exhibit on Thursday.

Born on June 22 at a cuddly 3 ½ pounds each, the young lions named Ernest, Evelyn, Marion and Miss Ellen have been bonding with their mother in her den, out of the public eye.

They were named in honor of longtime zoo supporters Ernest and Evelyn Rady, Marion Wilson and the zoo’s first benefactor Miss Ellen Browning Scripps.

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Oshana has been very protective of her cubs, zookeepers say, and she just started taking them to an outdoor area where they could jump around in the sun.

This week, staff said the cubs were strong enough to sniff out the larger exhibit at Lion Camp.

Though they first stuck close to their mom, the little lions slowly began exploring the tall grass and rocks reminiscent of the savanna.They showed off their fiercest growling faces to Thursday's visitors -- the first to get a taste of the cubs’ behaviors.

While it may be hard for us to tell them apart, keepers say each has his or her own distinctive personality. But the staff has another cheat: they’ve shaved a small patch of hair in a different spot on each cub.

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At nearly 3 months old, the cute animals are weighing in at 22 pounds each, showing they are growing up healthy, the zoo says.

By the time they are fully grown – which is around 3 years old in lion time – Ernest could weigh around 500 pounds, while Miss Ellen, Evelyn and Marion could weigh roughly 300 pounds.

The cubs have been visually introduced to their father Izu and will physically meet him in the near future, zoo officials say.

The lion pride at the Safari Park now has nine members with the addition of the new cubs. Along with the little lion family, the group includes an adult female named Mina and Oshana’s older offspring Ken and Dixie.

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