The wonderful news from Santa Barbara Zoo arrived in early November: An African lion cub had been born to first-time parents Felicia and Ralph on Nov. 5, 2020.
But new concerns soon developed. "On November 19, the cub became critically ill as she was not getting enough milk from her mother (and became hypothermic and hypoglycemic)," the zoo shared in a statement.
"So the Zoo's animal care team made the decision to move her to the veterinary hospital for intensive care, where she has been in the incubator, receiving fluid therapy, and has been learning to nurse formula from a bottle."
And here's the happy follow-up: The baby is doing well now. The little girl even has a new name: Pauline. See precious Pauline get weighed, drink from a bottle, and capture our hearts and eternal, lion-loving devotion in the photos below...
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Santa Barbara Zoo
Pauline "... is the first cub for both Felicia (two years old) and Ralph (five years old), who arrived at the Zoo this past May. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) recommended the pairing of Felicia and Ralph as part of its Species Survival Plan to maintain a sustainable population of lions in North America. As part of the AZA’s cooperative breeding program, the Zoo started the planning process to bring in new lions even before the passing of longtime beloved lion, Chadwick, in December of 2019."
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Santa Barbara Zoo
Pauline and mom Felicia will remain behind the scenes for several more weeks. Zoo visitors may catch a first glance of the youngster later in January 2021. The zoo shared a few details about how the bambino received her name. "Pauline is a meaningful family name selected by her Premier Foster Feeder sponsors, the Mozilo family. The Mozilos also sponsor the cub's parents, Felicia and Ralph."
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Santa Barbara Zoo
"The first month of a lion cub's life is precarious in terms of survival, particularly when born to a first-time mother," shared Dr. Julie Barnes, the Zoo’s Vice President of Animal Care & Health. "Felicia is a young first-time mother and this situation that has occurred with her cub is not uncommon with inexperienced mothers. We are very happy to report that the cub has been responding well to treatment and is now successfully nursing from a bottle."
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Santa Barbara Zoo
"The cub will remain in the hospital for a little longer and then she will move back to the lion holding area so that she can be in close proximity to her parents, Felicia and Ralph, but will continue to be bottle-fed until she is weaned."
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Santa Barbara Zoo
"We're happy and relieved to know the cub has recovered and is doing well," shared Rich Block, President & CEO of the Santa Barbara Zoo. "I'd like to acknowledge our incredible animal care team who expertly handled the birth and the cub’s critical care needs, and continue to provide around-the-clock care for the cub."
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Santa Barbara Zoo
"This is just the kind of warm and fuzzy news we think everybody can appreciate right now, and we look forward to introducing the new cub to everyone soon!"
