Pittsburgh Zoo reveals name of African lion cub

A public viewing of Kiazi was held Monday to celebrate World Lion Day.

By JOYCE HANZ
TribLive

The newest African lion cub at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is officially named and ready to roar — someday.

Zoo officials hosted a public viewing event Monday morning at the lion exhibit to reveal the name of a 4-monthold, healthy female cub, Kiazi (Kee-ah-zee) on World Lion Day, celebrated on Aug. 10.

It was Kiazi’s first official public appearance, and she provided the audience with lots of viewing opportunities as she explored the outdoor lion habitat.

“Out of 1,140 names entered, our keepers selected a name that was a combination of her mother, Scarlett’s, roots in Africa and her father, who has roots in this country. Kiazi is Swahili for potato, and her dad Hondo was born in Idaho,” explained zoo President and CEO Dr. Jeremy Goodman.

The zoo enlisted the public’s help with a “Dub the Cub” fundraiser at $5 per submitted name, which raised $5,705 to benefit care costs for the lion pride and other animals.

Kiazi was joined by her parents and “aunt” Abana, who kept a watchful eye as Kiazi jumped, ran, explored and even scooped up a stick in her mouth and pounced around.

The “oohs and ahs” were mixed in with cries of “she’s so cute” from spectators.

“We call her Spicy,” Pittsburgh Zoo assistant curator of mammals Karen Vacco said of the sole offspring from Hondo and Scarlett, who conceived naturally. “We thought she might be a little clingy to mom Scarlett, but boy were we wrong. She’s very courageous, curious and high-energy.”

It’s common for adult female lions to give birth to one to four cubs after a 90-day gestation period.

Kiazi is the only lion cub at the zoo and will remain there until she is old enough to be matched with another lion suitor when she’s all grown up, which will take several years.

“She’s a bundle of energy. Plays hard and then sleeps hard,” Goodman said. “She’s hitting all of her milestones and is very independent and has situated really well with the entire pride.”

Kiazi has transitioned from her mother’s milk to a pound of processed horse meat daily with occasional nursing.

“At this point, it’s [nursing] comfort. She doesn’t need milk and is on all-meat,” Vacco said.

Two days a week, the pride has “bone days” with not as much food in an effort to simulate how lions feed in the wild.

“Typically, in the wild, they gorge and hunt and eat so much and not move for about three days, so that’s not real exciting for the visitors here at the zoo,” Vacco said.

Special lion habitat care perks include enrichment treats such as a papier-mache zebra and bags filled with wood from the alpaca exhibit.

“We use different spices like oregano, vanilla — they like just about anything,” Vacco said.

Kiazi rounds the pride out to four — three females and male Hondo.

“I see the dad,” shouted one child checking out Hondo as he peered into the crowd with his magnificent mane on display.

Zoogoers can look for Kiazi every day barring inclement weather.

The next step for Kiazi is to integrate with the whole pride for nighttime sleeping.

As cute and adorable as Kiazi is, zoo staff don’t treat her like a cuddly kitten, which means no petting or hand-feeding.

“Could we feed with our hands? Yes, but we are using tongs. We want everything right, so when she’s an adult, she’s prepared.”