On Nov. 5, the Santa Barbara Zoo’s African lion Felicia gave birth to her first cub, a female named Pauline. 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.
On Nov. 19, the cub became critically ill as she was not getting enough milk from her mother (and became hypothermic and hypoglycemic), so the zoo’s animal care team decided to move her to the veterinary hospital for intensive care, where she has been in the incubator, receiving fluid therapy, and learning to nurse formula from a bottle.
“The first month of a lion cub’s life is precarious in terms of survival, particularly when born to a first-time mother,” said 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. 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.”
“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.
“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.”
The zoo’s animal care staff suspected Felicia was pregnant based on her physical changes and fecal hormone analysis.
Lion gestation periods are only about 110 days and although pregnancy can be determined by measuring hormone levels in the female’s feces, this is not done until 60 days after mating due to the possibility of a pseudo-pregnancy. If the hormone levels remain elevated 60-70 days after mating, then the female is confirmed pregnant.
“We were encouraged from the very beginning to see how quickly and easily Felicia and Ralph bonded, and observed them breeding frequently as soon as they were introduced,” said Dr. Barnes.
“As lion populations have been steadily declining in the wild, we’re proud to be a part of the conservation efforts of these majestic animals and to know that these lions are a successful breeding pair,” she said.
This is the first cub for two-year-old Felicia and five-year-old Ralph, who arrived at the zoo in 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 2019.
Felicia and her cub will remain behind the scenes for about eight weeks before making their public debut. The zoo will share viewing information as soon as it becomes available; in the meantime, the public can tune in to the zoo’s social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) for updates.
The public is invited to help welcome the new lion cub by becoming a Foster Feeder sponsor of the African lion. New Foster Feeders at all levels will receive a personalized digital Foster Feeder certificate (including honoree’s name and lion photo), and recognition on the Foster Feeder board at the zoo.
Various donation levels are available on the website with different benefits. For more information or to become a Foster Feeder, visit https://sbzoo.pivvit.com/african-lion.
For more about the Santa Barbara Zoo, visit sbzoo.org.