Seattle just got a little louder in the cutest way possible. Woodland Park Zoo is celebrating the birth of two South African lion cubs, the zoo’s first lion arrival since 2014. The sisters were born January 14 to first-time parents Ilanga and Tandie and are currently holed up with mom in an off-view maternity den, while a fresh den-cam clip has the city collectively melting over their one-month-old antics.
According to Woodland Park Zoo, the cubs are part of the South African subspecies Panthera leo krugeri. The zoo’s animal health team has confirmed both cubs are female and will track their growth with regular health checks, including weight, vaccinations and routine sampling. Tandie, the father, will stay separated from the den while Ilanga focuses on bonding with the newborns.
How the family is doing
“As a first-time mother, Ilanga so far is doing a terrific job and is resting and bonding with the cubs,” Martin Ramirez, the zoo’s Curator of Mammalogy, said in a statement via Woodland Park Zoo. Keepers say the sisters are already starting to show early playful behavior and will be watched closely during routine check-ups. For now, staff are intentionally limiting human contact so Ilanga can raise the litter as naturally as possible.
When visitors might see the cubs
For those itching for a glimpse, a den-cam video shared by local media offers an early peek. KIRO 7 posted footage of the cubs at around one month old, tumbling around under Ilanga’s watchful eye. The zoo says the family will stay off public view until the cubs show steady mobility and outdoor temperatures are consistently at least 50 degrees. Keepers caution that a public debut could still be weeks or even months away as they stick closely to animal welfare best practices.
Why the birth matters
The new arrivals represent a third generation of lions at Woodland Park. Tandie is the son of the late Xerxes, and that lineage is a big deal for accredited breeding programs. As FOX 13 reported, the birth is considered a small win for the Lion Species Survival Plan and ties into broader conservation partnerships supported by the zoo. Carefully coordinated breeding across zoos helps maintain genetic diversity for vulnerable lion populations in the wild…