Santa Barbara Zoo's lion cub finally has a name.
The African lion cub, who was welcomed on November 5, is female and has been named Pauline.
Pauline is the first baby for the zoo’s lions - Felicia and Ralph, and the first lion cub the zoo has welcomed in 15 years.
On November 19, the Zoo's animal care staff discovered the cub was suffering from hypothermia and hypoglycemia after not receiving enough milk from Felicia.
Pauline was taken to Zoo's animal hospital where she has been in an incubator, receiving fluids, and learning to nurse formula from a bottle.
Luckily, Pauline is responding well to treatments and continues to show improvement.
“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."
Pauline will continue to be cared for by the Zoo's expert animal care staff for a while longer, and will eventually move back up into the lion den to be closer to parents Felicia and Ralph.
