April 1, 2021
Oskar and Araali Turn One!
Take a Look Back at Our African Lion Cubs' First Year
Exactly one year ago, African lion sibs Oskar and Araali brightened the darkest of days by arriving in the midst of our 87-day COVID closure. As we celebrate the cubs, we’re also raising a glass of gratitude to YOU—the generous donors whose participation in our naming contest helped to raise $53,000 for our Colorado Pride and their wild counterparts. In honor of their special day, let’s take a look back at some of their major milestones and adorable antics.
Meet the Cubs
Before we knew their sexes or even names, Tobias and Kamara’s cubs took the world by storm just for existing. Relive those precious first moments in their debut video here
A Mother’s Day First
Both mom and cubs celebrated their first Mother’s Day together behind-the-scenes, where they lived for a few months to bond, primarily in their den box which mimicked the space Kamara would seek out to give birth in the wild, with additional access to other spaces. See our precious little sausages exploring for the first time!
Oh, Brother
Little did we know then that Tatu was about to meet his all-time BFFs. Still a cub at the time, older half-brother Tatu was allowed to meet the yet-unnamed cubs under the watchful eye of their mom Kamara. Tatu impressed us all by being so good with them, and always backing down when Kamara said enough was enough.
What’s in a Name?
With our cubs officially sexed as male and female, we turned to YOU to help us pick a name. Keepers chose three Colorado-themed names for each, and our friend Peyton Manning helped ask the world to pick their favorite.
Meet Oskar and Araali!
After weeks of voting and celebrity endorsements, the results were in! You chose Oskar and Araali as the names for our littlest cubs, helping raise $53,000 to care for lions here and in the wild!
Snow Days and beyond
At a year old, these rambunctious cubs are now more than a match for big half-brother Tatu—and just about every other pride member they will eagerly pounce or snuggle! And while only the pride gets to snuggle Oskar and Araali in real life, thanks to a special commemorative first birthday plush, you can adopt your very own cuddly cub—and support lions around the world
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