Trick or Treat for lion cubs at London Zoo

ZSL London Zoo’s Asian lion cubs will be celebrating Halloween with their first peep at a pumpkin this week!

[UKPRwire, Thu Oct 22 2009] ZSL London Zoo’s Asian lion cubs will be celebrating Halloween with their first peep at a pumpkin this week!

Three-month-old cubs, Gabriel and Rubi, will be given carved pumpkins stuffed with tasty treats ahead of a spooky half-term at the zoo.

Photographers are invited in to get snaps of the playful pair as they use lots of ingenious tricks to get to the delicious food hidden inside the pumpkin.

And Head Keeper Tracey Lee reckons they’ll go wild for their treat: “The cubs are really mischievous animals and I’m sure they’ll love having something new to investigate.”

Giving the lions the food-filled pumpkins form part of their regular enrichment programme, which is used by keepers to stimulate their natural behaviours. Their food is hidden around their enclosure to encourage the lions to hunt out their food.

For more information about ZSL London Zoo’s Halloween events visit www.zsl.org/halloween

ENDS

Editors Notes

For further information, please contact Rebecca Smith on 020 7449 6236 or via email on rebecca.smith@zsl.org

Nearly all wild lions live in sub-Saharan Africa, but one small population of Asian lions exists in India's Gir Forest. Lions are the only cats that live in groups, called prides. Prides are family units that may include up to three males, a dozen or so females, and their young. All of a pride's lionesses are related and female cubs typically stay with the group as they age. Asian lions are classified as critically endangered by the IUCN.

Halloween activities at ZSL London Zoo will take place throughout half term, from Saturday 24th October until Sunday 2nd November.

Information about ZSL London Zoo and how to buy tickets can be found at www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo

ZSL
Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an international scientific, conservation and educational charity: our key role is the conservation of animals and their habitats. The Society runs ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology and is actively involved in field conservation in other countries worldwide. For further information please visit www.zsl.org