The Toronto Zoo is in a great position to bring forward the plight of the African lion and supports lion conservation efforts in the wild through the Toronto Zoo Endangered Species Reserve Fund. One of the Toronto Zoo’s mandates is to educate visitors on current conservation issues and help preserve the incredible biodiversity on the planet. These strategies include reducing lion-human conflict, and to conserve and increase lion habitat and wild prey base. Regional conservation strategies have been developed for lions in west and central Africa and eastern and southern Africa. Disease, such as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), bovine tuberculosis and canine distemper, spread by domestic animals, is also having a negative effect on wild lion populations. To protect their livestock, farmers shoot and poison the lions. With less and less land and prey available to them, they sometimes resort to killing livestock. Lions are losing ground to people in Africa. They may be the King of the Beasts, but they are in great danger from their main enemy: humans.

There has been up to a 30% to 50% decline of wild lion populations over the past two decades and this decline will continue if conservation efforts are not put in place.

Lions are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Their habitat varies from the grasslands of east Africa to the sands of the Kalahari Desert. The African lions’ current range extends from south of the Sahara Desert to South Africa, at altitudes ranging from sea level to as high as 4,998 meters (16,400 ft). Makali and Fintan (father) are both four years old and this is their first litter of cubs.

Makali and her cubs are currently in a maternity area of the lion habitat in the African Savanna area of the Zoo and are not visible to the public. Toronto Zoo Wildlife Care staff will continue to closely monitor Makali and her cubs during this time. While all four cubs appear healthy, and feeding well, the first thirty days will be critical for each of them. Makali started showing signs of late pregnancy on Tuesday, Septemand Wildlife Care staff moved to a 24/7 schedule to monitor her closely. The third cub was born at 4:15 am and the fourth at 6:40 am on Sunday. The first cub was born at 10:35 pm, followed by the second cub at 11:17 pm. Toronto, ON (Friday, October 2, 2015) The Toronto Zoo would like to announce that Makali, a four year old female white lion gave birth to four cubs two cubs on Saturday, Septemand two cubs on Sunday, September 27, 2015.

White lion babies