Last chance for locals to name cubs at Woodland Park Zoo

Tomorrow is the last day that locals can enter the naming competition for the lion cubs born at Woodland Park Zoo last November. The competition will close Friday, March 15 at 5 p.m.

Woodland Park Zoo is giving community members the chance to name two of the four cubs by submitting their suggestions on their website. The two other cubs will be named internally at the zoo.

The zoo is searching for Zulu or Sotho names for one male and one female cub to honor a part of the Krugeri lion’s native South African range.

To enter the competition, participants must research words and names in the African languages of Zulu or Sotho, select two names and submit them on the website. Once the competition has closed a judging panel of zoo staff members will select the cubs’ names from the eligible entries.

“We’ve received nearly 1,500 submissions for the contest. As ambassadors for their species, South African names help share the story of their counterparts in the wild,” said Pat Owen, a collection manager at Woodland Park Zoo.

Winners of the naming competition can expect to win great prizes including a private viewing for five at the lion exhibit with a keeper, a one-year annual Woodland Park Zoo family membership, and the opportunity of a ZooParent lion cub adoption.

Locals have the chance to meet the cubs from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. daily, weather permitting, at their exhibit located in the African Savanna area at the Woodland Park Zoo.

To find out more about the lion cubs and to enter the competition click here to visit Woodland Park Zoo’s website.

Photos courtesy of Woodland Park Zoo. Credit – Ryan Hawk.