The Buddies Meet Barbary Lion Cubs

This afternoon, the buddies and I took advantage of a rare opportunity to see a pair of 5 week old lion cubs. And cubs from a species believed to be extinct in the wild and with only 100 alive in captivity, at that! The cubs' parents were donated to the zoo last year and are the first animals to conceive at the Austin Zoo. The family is believed to descend from the Barbary subspecies and their genes are being tested to be sure. If they are, they will be taken to Morocco and bred with other Barbary lions. Aren't they sweet?


The buddies loved seeing the furry little guys. The questions from the spectators included:

Q: Are they really as soft as they look? A: Yes!
Q: How can you tell them apart? (typical, non-twin-having parent!) A: We spend a lot of time with them so they look completely different to us. (of course they do!)
Q (from Ace): When are their birthdays? A: January 12th


After we spent plenty of time ogling the sweet little cubs, we took off to make the rounds of our usual favorite spots at the Austin Zoo. And that took about 15 minutes. Then, we rode the train and played in the dirt a bit before heading home.