Lion cubs and other juveniles stars of safari experience at Aussie zoo
Ready to go on a lion-watching safari? Visitors to one Australian zoo can enjoy the antics its youngest (and cutest) residents, like these playful members of the lion pride WATCH THE VIDEO
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Not many of us are lucky enough to go on an African safari and glimpse iconic big cats in the wild, but one Australian zoo just got a little closer to the real thing.
Guests are now invited to walk on the wild side at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo in regional NSW, where they will see seven-month-old lion cubs Kaari, Mzuri and Nguvu like never before.
The Pride Lands Patrol Tour takes guests on safari in a purpose-built truck through the zoo’s large three-hectare lion habitat*, home to African lions Lwazi and Marion and seven of their offspring*: sisters Amali, Imani, Mara and Zawadi, and cubs Kaari, Mzuri and Nguvu.
The pride of nine is the largest ever to call the Lion Pride Lands home, and senior keeper Mel Friedman said the truck enabled guests to see the lion cubs closer than ever before.
“The larger habitat is a whole new world for our cubs to explore,” Mel said.
“They’re busy rolling around and climbing trees, chasing dad and their sisters and just having an amazing time out there – they must be exhausted by the end of each day.”
“People are really loving seeing them from the truck. I went out on the first tour with guests and they absolutely loved it. The lions were really energetic, very playful and so they all had smiling faces on board the bus, that’s for sure!”
The cubs are not the only youngsters ready to wow guests this spring.
Three baby spider monkeys have joined the troop on the Primate Islands, joining four rowdy toddlers who were born in recent years. The babies can be spotted by eagle-eyed visitors from the comfort of Café Wild or – for the more adventurous – on board a pedal boat on the Savannah Lake.
Hand-raised giraffe calf Msumeno has made his public debut on the habitat neighbouring the main giraffe herd, where he can sometimes be spotted touching noses with members of the herd, and even doing zoomies with his half-siblings on the other side of the fence. It won’t be long until he is fully weaned* and ready to become a fully-fledged member of the main herd.
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POLL
GLOSSARY
- habitat: a zoo enclosure designed to be similar to the natural home of a wild animal
- offspring: children of the adult lions
- weaned: no longer drinking its mum’s milk but eating solid food
- Australasia: usually meaning Australia, New Zealand plus New Guinea and its surrounding islands
EXTRA READING
‘Miracle’ rhino calf sprouts horns
Historic giraffe birth at Aussie zoo
Dog becomes cheetah cub’s BFF
QUICK QUIZ
1. How old are lion cubs Kaari, Mzuri and Nguvu?
2. How many lions live at the zoo’s Lion Pride Lands?
3. How are visitors able to explore the lion pride habitat safely?
4. Which other baby animals can guests see at the zoo this spring?
5. How can visitors get a glimpse of the spider monkeys?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. A day in your life
Imagine that you are one of the animals in today’s story. Write a description of a typical day in your life. Use information from the story and perhaps your research skills to help you find details that will make your description come alive!
Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
2. Extension
What skills and knowledge do you think a keeper like Mel would need to have? Design a poster that would help kids who would like to be a zookeeper learn about what they need to know, understand and do in this job.
Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Communication Design
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.
Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.
Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?
Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.