The Calgary Zoo introduced its two newest animals to the public today and the could not be more purrfect.
Baruti and Aslan, two male lions, were born at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. on September 22, 2012 and will now make their home in the Calgary Zoo's African Savannah exhibit.
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SEE: Calgary Zoo's New Lions
"We are excited for visitors to have an opportunity to finally meet our new additions to the African Savannah. These two boys have very high genetic value in the captive population," said Jamie Dorgan, area curator, in a news release.
"They are of the lion subspecies krugeri (Panthera leo krugeri) and since their parents are directly from South Africa they are considered founders in the Species Survival Program and North American population."
The zoo waited for temperatures to rise in Calgary to introduce the African cats. The pair have been in Calgary since late July 2012 and after completing a quarantine period they were slowly introduced to the zoo's two female lions, Tisha and Mbira.
Both Tisha and Mbira are getting on in age (both are 17), so there are no plans to breed them with the immature males. However, it is expected that the Species Survival Plan will see breeding-age female lions transferred to Calgary to be paired with the male lions.