Life at the zoo is slowing in some respects as the holidays approach. We recently transferred the tiger cubs, Luka and Dmitri, to their new home in Portland, Oregon, making it easier for Finn to relax in his new home without two other males in the building. Christmas at the Zoo is behind us after a great event on Sunday as crowds came out to see Finn and the tiger cubs for the last time. With things crossed off the list, we were now ready for baby watch at the lions – or at least we thought.

Based on breeding behavior at the end of summer and changes in the dynamics of the pride, the thought was that Ilola had been bred and we should expect cubs this week. Because of the history of Ilola’s mother and her mother’s mother, there was a high risk that the cubs would have to be taken surgically, basically a C-section in humans. The animal staff has been meeting weekly for months to prepare for any eventuality, while hoping that she’d be able to give birth naturally and be a great mom like Zoya. The reality, however, was there was a higher risk she wouldn’t.

In preparation for the event, teams were created to focus on the various needs if a surgical birth was called for. There was a surgical team assembled who would focus all their attention on Ilola’s care before, during and after the procedure. This team included a local veterinarian to assist the zoo’s veterinarian along with someone to monitor the anesthesia and a surgical assistant. Team 2 were the cub catchers. As cubs were removed, a cub catcher would receive a cub from the surgeon in a towel to start cleaning it up and make sure its airway was cleared and it was breathing. The best thing in the world is to hear the cubs angrily vocalizing as the cub catcher vigorously cleaned them up because this meant the cub was strong and breathing. The third team was there for safety. Anytime we immobilize a large carnivore, we take additional safety precautions to ensure that if something goes wrong during a procedure, everyone still gets to go home that evening.

Staff received their assignments and were trained on what to do with the cubs, how to do it, and what to look for if they were not responding. In short, we were ready for anything. However, the one thing that might have slipped our mind was that she was not pregnant, which turned out to be the case. Although her behavior had changed, she was not gaining weight as she would were she carrying cubs. With her pregnancy in question an X-ray confirmed that she was not carrying any cubs.

Although she was not pregnant this time, the staff is in a good place for when she is. We’ll be ahead of the game going in which should make it a little less stressful. While the book may be closed on this pregnancy, everyone will be looking forward to the next.