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Lion Cubs To Make Zoo Debut

By: Sabri Ben-Achour // December 17, 2010
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Seven new lion cubs at the National Zoo will get officially named this weekend and make their debut in front of the media. The public may get a glimpse starting as early as Monday if Zoo keepers give the OK.

The baby lions are a little more than three months old -- and extremely cute. Rebecca Stites is in charge of cats and bears at the zoo, she says they wouldn't be likely to survive in the wild for "various reasons -- it could be a male that takes over the territory and kills off the cubs, it could be that other predators have killed them."

But no chance of that here. Naba, mother of three of the cubs, made it perfectly clear to the dad, named Luke, that he better play nice.

"A deafening snarl right in Luke's face...and he dropped to the floor rolled on his back, he definitely showed he knew she was in charge," Stites says.

Zookeepers say that if the cubs are comfortable, and if the weather cooperates, they could be let out for short periods starting Monday.

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