Sweet Buffalo was so excited to be invited to the Buffalo Zoo recently to find out more about their newest lion arrivals! We’ve seen so many photos of the new sea lions and lion cubs on social media, but we wanted to find out firsthand just how important it was for these new additions to be added to the zoo family.
The way we see it, in order to ensure the future of our animals, we have to get children to love them just as much as we do. By having new arrivals and baby animals on exhibit at the Buffalo Zoo, children can feel like they relate to the animals. We’ve never seen anything more adorable than when Tobias, the zoo’s extremely adorable cub, came out to play. Children yelled “Roar!” at the baby lion as if they were cheering him on. It was an amazing moment to see children bonding with the new cub and welcoming him to the zoo.
So, what did keepers have to say about their newest arrivals? Nothing but good things, of course! Sweet Buffalo spent some time with sea lion keeper, Melissa, and lion keeper, Alicia, to find out the scoop on Buffalo’s favorite lions.
Jesse and Pokey – California Sea Lions
Sea lion keeper Melissa said the Buffalo Zoo is extremely excited to have two California sea lions, Jesse and Pokey, because their presence at the zoo was actually part of a rescue mission.
“They were rescued from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna, California and spent time recovering there,” said Melissa.
Jesse and Pokey were not doing well as they were both very sick. Knowing that they would not survive if released back into the wild, the Buffalo Zoo was able to offer the necessary care they needed to get well again. Now Jesse and Pokey are thriving in their exhibit where zoo attendees can see them swimming and playing.
“They are very bonded. They play, they start porpoising, splashing each other, chasing each other – just general goofing around like two year olds,” said Melissa.
You can view Jesse and Pokey at the sea lion cove exhibit, along with longest sea lion resident, 17 year old Dallas.
Tobias – Lion cub and siblings
It was a great time for the Buffalo Zoo when their first cub, Tobias, was born in April to mom, Lelei, and father, Tiberius, as he was the first cub born at the zoo in 25 years. And then to find out just a short while later that Tobias would have three siblings was simply momentous to say the least. Lion keepers now had a huge responsibility to care for these little bundles of joy, but it was a responsibility that they never took for granted.
“I feel incredibly lucky,” said Alicia. “We watch them grow every day and get bigger and it’s more exciting every day.”
Tobias is almost 50 pounds and eats everything his mom and dad eat now. He’s learning to navigate his environment and gain the knowledge he needs to become an adult. He also has his brothers and sisters joining him now as they were introduced to the public on Saturday.
To view Sweet Buffalo’s ‘Live’ video with keepers at the Buffalo Zoo, visit www.facebook.com/sweetbuffalo716 You may also visit, www.buffalozoo.org for more information on the Buffalo Zoo.
