lion cubs.
It really is so hard to say goodbye to yesterday, especially when yesterday was your last day working at the lion park, and the cubs there all pig-pile you for a marathon of hugs and kisses because they don't want you to go. This goodbye is the very definition of bittersweet, readers. It's so bitter because goodbyes are so hard, because our man is never going to see these cubs again, and his heart is clearly breaking because the cubs don't understand exactly that, although perhaps they realize that something is going on. And it's so sweet because the bond of affection between man and beast here is so real and so palpable. This is the kind of goodbye we can only hope for whenever anything ...
We've warned you about this type of thing before. We love, love, love the big cats, but they are for appreciating and admiring, not for touching, hugging, or generally palling around with. That's because they are nature's perfect killing machines (sorry, snakes) and should not be trifled with except by experts. And yet we love this video. So much about it is wrong: cats and dogs together, domesticated animals with wild beasts, two against one. But friendship is friendship. Friendship is pure. Those lions are juveniles still, after all. It's like that glorious first half of "The Fox and the Hound" when Todd and Copper simply don't yet know that they're supposed to be enemies. This dog "was ...
Julie Larsen Maher © WCS You might remember last May when we told you about those three new lion cubs debuting at the Bronx Zoo. Well, it's been a year, and the three little cub are now slightly less little! We've got this up-to-date photo of the three "teens," who are now about 150 pounds each, according to the zoo. When we wrote about them last year, the zoo was looking for name suggestions for the cubs, and many of you left your own in our comments section. One of those, "Nala," ended up being chosen! That's her on the far left. Next to her is her brother, Shani. Check out the beginnings of his mane. That's sister Adamma to his left. And last but not least, papa M'wasi rounds out the ...
If kittens melt your heart, you might want to plan a trip to the Smithsonian National Zoo in 2011. The zoo's seven lion cubs, born in two litters last summer, have passed their 12-week health exams and are now being allowed outdoors to play in their yard -- where you can watch them run, pounce, explore and maybe even swim! Before the cubs could go out on their own, each had to pass a simple swimming test. "We know lions aren't typically big swimmers," says Great Cats curator Craig Saffoe. "But cubs will be cubs, and we feel inevitably somebody's going to play around and knock somebody else into the moat. So we took them outside to make sure that they could swim." ...
We don't blame these furry mamas for taking full advantage of "Kids Eat Free Mondays" at the Paw Nation buffet. With all those growing cubs, a nice night out gets pricey fast! But we and our pals at Daily Squee are going to try to get there first. It's not like we're going to make this family wait in line behind us, and do you honestly think there will be anything left once they've filled their plates? Nope, we're not taking any chances. Early bird specials for us, please. And perhaps we should get our food to go -- those kids look hungry, and we have no intention of handing over our mashed potatoes. More Daily Squee ...
This fall, 8-week-old lion cubs at the Smithsonian National Zoo took their very first dips. The precious furry felines showed off their paddling abilities, swimming alongside zoo professionals who helped keep them afloat and successfully scamper out. (And the cubs didn't even need puncture-proof floaties.) We realize that lion cubs do, in fact, turn into lions, but for the time being, we're wondering how we can get in on this lion cub swimming lesson business. So cute! ...