BUFFALO — The Buffalo Zoo has some unveiling to do this weekend — in the form of three lion cubs … and their names.
The cubs, born on May 12 to first-time mother Lusaka and second-time dad Tiberius, will meet the public for the first time at 10 a.m. Saturday, when the Zoo opens its gates for the day. The public will then learn the cubs’ names at 11 a.m.
The zoo decided to allow a new corporate sponsor — ROAR Logistics — to name one cub. ROAR Logistics is sponsoring both of the zoo’s Big Cats exhibits, lions and tigers.
“ROAR Logistics is proud to sponsor the Big Cat exhibit; we believe linking our name to these majestic cats brings attention to the Zoo’s remarkable education and conservation efforts,” according to company President Robert Rich III. “By introducing these beautiful animals to new generations of Zoo visitors, we hope to ensure that these animals not only thrive locally, but also in their natural habitats.” The company is a leading supplier of supply chain solutions with its name being an acronym of the various services it offers: Rail, Ocean, Air, and Road.
Zoo staff is naming another, and the zoo is asking the public to help choose a name for the third (shown) via an online survey. Voting on the female cub’s name ends at 5 p.m. Friday. The choices for the publicly named cub are:
- LuLu -(Loo-loo) – meaning “precious” in Swahili and sort of a “mini – me” name because she looks like Lusaka who we often call “Lu”
- Amirah- (Ah -meer- ah) – meaning “princess” in Swahili.
- Lelia- (Lay-la) – a unique spelling, just like her aunt Lelie
So why did the zoo choose to name the cubs this way? Zoo Director of Marketing Todd Geise said that “it’s a bit of a unique situation to have three cubs to name all at once and we wanted participation from many sources. … Our visitors are important to us and we are committed to engaging them whenever possible. Like the gorilla baby naming earlier this year, this is yet another opportunity to involve the public.”
Another lion cub was named earlier this year, as well. Tobias was named by zoo staff on account of the cubs’ large feet. Tobias was fathered by Tiberius. His mother is Lelie.
