Tobias, the three-month-old African lion cub, made his official public debut Sunday morning at the Buffalo Zoo.
The Zoo's three-and-a-half-year-old male African lion, Tiberius, had quite the Father's Day with his first offspring being introduced to the public.
Back in April, the Zoo announced that on March 5th of this year, a male African lion cub was born to first-time parents Lelei (6) and Tiberius. The cub, later named Tobias by his keepers, is the first lion cub to be reared at the Zoo in twenty-five years.
“The decision to commit to a schedule for the public is based on several factors,” according to Zoo President & CEO, Donna M. Fernandes, Ph.D.
“We wanted to be sure of successful introductions between the father and the mother and cub so that they could be presented as a family. In addition, we had to be sure that the cub’s ability to navigate the exhibit had developed to an acceptable level. We are thrilled that the public will now have the opportunity to appreciate him as we do.”
Over the last few weeks, keepers slowly began introducing the new cub to the exhibit space, followed by his mother, and finally his father. The cub currently weighs around 30 lbs.
Beginning this Sunday and barring inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances, the cub will be in the lion exhibit daily from the Zoo’s opening at 10 a.m. through at least 2 p.m.
