Cheyenne Mountain Zoo names lion cubs

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s three new African lion cubs made their official debut Monday.

The three cubs , one girl and two boys, were born on June 25 to first-time parents Lomela, an 8-year-old female, and Abuto, a 4-year-old male.

Guests had limited viewing of the cubs over the last few weeks, but the barriers came down Monday. The cubs are the first born at the zoo since Lomela and another lion in 2007.

The trio’s names were also revealed Monday. The boys were given the names Aslan and Boma. The girl cub was named Elsa. The names were voted on by zoo members.

Boma is named after a fence that protects livestock from lion attacks. Aslan is named after the lion in “The Chronicles of Narnia” series of books. Elsa was named after her grandfather, Elson, another lion at the zoo.

Elsa also is an important name in lion history. Elsa was the lion adopted by humans and later returned to the wild in the “Born Free” movie and books of the 1960s.

The three zoo cubs won’t be released to the wild. If they stay healthy, they’ll go to other zoos to breed with other lions.

Zoo officials don’t want the cubs to be considered just cute, but to also motivate people to learn about the plight of lions as a vulnerable species and help increase their numbers.

According to some estimates, no more than 32,000 lions remain in the wild.

Zoo officials said until recently, the number of captive lions likewise declined because of birth control designed to prevent related lions from breeding — which contributed to the local zoo’s eight-year gap in cub births.

“It kind of backfired a bit,” said Amy Schilz, an animal care manager at the zoo. “They had a harder time getting pregnant. Our zoo is actually the first to go in and surgically remove the implants. (Lomela) got pregnant within two years.”

Erica Meyer, of zoo public relations, said 4 percent of the zoo’s revenue since 2008 — around $850,000 — is donated to wildlife conservation. The money is collected in two machines in which people donate quarters to a variety of animals.

The zoo continues to breed black-footed ferrets and Wyoming toads and return them to the wild. The ferret once was near extinction and the toad still is listed as extinct in the wild.

You can see Aslan, Boma and Elsa at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s Encounter Africa exhibit.