GERMANY: Jaguar and lion cubs go on Easter walkabout at Dortmund Zoo

Record ID: 739158

  • Title: GERMANY: Jaguar and lion cubs go on Easter walkabout at Dortmund Zoo
  • Date: 8th April 2007
  • Summary: LITTLE BOY WATCHING AND OTHERS WATCHING
  • Embargoed: 23rd April 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Nature / Environment,Lifestyle
  • Reuters ID: LVA99YGZ90SE76F1FEQEHLW50DRF
  • Story Text: Visitors to Dortmund zoo get a chance to see new eight-week-old jaguar cubs and slightly older lion babies.
    Two spotted jaguar cubs born in February and three lion cubs became the star attraction at Dortmund zoo on Sunday (April 8).
    The jaguar babies were born to mother "Chica" on February 2, and according to zoo keeper Anja Stoer, the zoo faced some difficulties immediately after the big cats were born because of the mothers maternal instincts.
    "In the beginning, we didn't really know how many there were because the mother hid the two quite well from us. But after about two weeks, we managed to get closer to the cave where they were born and discovered two small, spotted babies," Stoer recalled.
    Close by to the jaguars' cage, lion mother "Moreni" also went on an Easter Sunday stroll in the sun with her three babies, born in January.
    Male lion baby Aslan and his sisters Ana and Ayla were busy fooling around the open air enclosure, playfully biting a plastic box with their already very sharp teeth.
    Asked whether there were any similarities between the attention the jaguar and lion babies were getting and the world's currently most famous polar bear cub "Knut" at Berlin zoo, Stoer said a comparison was impossible.
    "You can't compare the attention for Knut (Berlin Zoo's polar bear cub) with here, probably because Knut is a sweet little baby raised by hand. To be honest, we're quite happy we don't have to raise them by hand and that they're growing up on their own." Stoer said.
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