Zoos Victoria had announced that the four lion cubs, two males and two females, who were born to second-time mum Nilo at Werribee Open Range Zoo on August 12, had now been named and would be on limited display as they still needed long rest periods like all young cubs (and kids). Having been advised that the best viewing times to see Asali, Ilola, Ato and Lwazi were before 10.30am, we headed down to Werribee early and arrived even before the gates opened thanks to some lighter than usual traffic.
Once the gates opened and our membership cards had been scanned, we made our way towards the lion enclosure in the hope of securing a good viewing spot. When we arrived, the keepers were still cleaning the interior glass and setting up food and enrichment for the lions, but we could hear the male lion roaring, clearly impatient for his breakfast. Watching the keepers placing these huge rib bones out for the lions gave us the opportunity to determine the probable best positions for good photos and to set up a third camera to record a bit of video while the magpies tried to steal a bit of meat off the waiting bones.
By the time things were all set, there were only about six of us at the enclosure and we were not disappointed when the pride came out of their night dens.
The big male lion immediately claimed a huge rack of ribs and headed off to the shade to eat.
While one of the young cubs practiced stalking on a magpie that was trying to steal some of their meat.
Three of the cubs, mum and dad all took their breakfast off to eat in the shade while the fourth cub hid behind a big log in the sun to eat.
We spent around an hour watching the cubs enjoying breakfast as the crowds began to build around us.
Dad certainly seemed to be enjoying his breakfast:
While one of the cubs seemed more interested in chasing the magpies:
As the crowd built up, we decided to move on and take the safari bus tour before the day got too hot.
Late spring/early summer is usually a great time to visit the zoo as many of the animals have newborns.
We were lucky enough to get some good close up views of the giraffes, especially with one crossing the road right in front of the bus.
And we even had an ostrich give us a close inspection
By the end of the bus tour the temperature was beginning to get a bit too warm for our liking and so we decided to head for the air-conditioned comfort of home.