The four endangered lion cubs that were born at Fota Wildlife Park earlier this year have been given adorable names.
The little cubs were born in February to their mother Gira and father Shanto, and the wildlife park left their naming open to a public vote after announcing the birth in April.
The park rangers have now decided on Ri, Riann, Rani and Ravi after looking through hundreds of submissions.
The four-month-old cubs live in a specially constructed lion habitat at the wildlife park with their parents and older brother Loki, while Loki’s two sisters, Arya and Amira, were recently transferred to Helsinki Zoo with their grandmother as part of the Endangered Species Breeding Program for Asian lions.
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The naming competition winners were Ian Twohig and Emma McCarthy from Cork, Helen Cronin from Macroom and Pamela Kent-Ryan from Mitchelstown, who each won a Conservation Annual Pass to Fota Wildlife Park.
Lead Ranger Kelly Lambe said, “The pride is doing great, the cubs are growing and gaining strength daily and Loki is proving to be a fantastic big brother as he is great with the cubs.
“All the adults are getting along really well together and each one interacts with the cubs positively, you see them learning to hunt by playing with the others.”
She added, “We are also delighted to report that the two girls, Arya and Amira have settled in well in Helsinki with their grandmother.”
Main image by Darragh Kane
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