“This cub is the first lion cub to be raised at the zoo in over 40 years, with the last time we saw this was 1980,” said Jeff Bullock, zoo director.

On the evening of March 6, a team of zoo staff and local veterinary professionals performed a C-section on Ilola, a female African lion, once it was determined she could not give birth naturally.

Ilola was immobilized that evening and X-rayed to determine the number of cubs and their size to make certain the timing was right before putting her through the surgery. Two or three large cubs could be identified, so Ilola was moved to another den in the lion building that had already been prepared for the procedure. The surgical team was able to remove three cubs.

According to zoo information, one cub did not survive and another cub had complications so the decision was made to humanely euthanize it. Necropsies were performed on both cubs that did not survive and both showed signs of congenital issues that possibly explained their lack of survival.

The surviving third cub was reintroduced to Ilola after a week of care by zoo staff. Currently, the cub remains with Ilola. Feeding times have been adjusted somewhat but continue around the clock. The zoo will continue with the daily weights and supplemental feedings until either Ilola can produce enough milk or the cub gets old enough to eat solid food.

Ilola has recovered well from her surgery.

Not yet three weeks old, it will still be some time before the cub is ready to go outside. She will be systematically introduced to her aunt, Tadala, and her father Asani, in the coming months and once she is big enough, will join the pride on exhibit.

“It’s been a long couple of weeks that feels like months to the staff, as the round-the-clock feedings cause you to lose track of time,” Bullock said. “A lot of work has gone into ensuring the survival of this little lady, and we just want to make sure we are doing everything we can to see it through. We held off making an official announcement until we were more confident of the outcome, however, we recognize that we’re not out of the woods yet and must remain diligent every step of the way.”