Duluth Zoo New Home for Three Lion Cubs

Visitors to the Lake Superior Zoo should get to see some cute new lion cubs by the end of this month.

The zoo recently took in three cubs to fill the cage left empty when 19-year-old Nemo was euthanized in November. Nemo died after blood tests showed liver and kidney failure, common in elderly cats, the zoo’s veterinarian said at the time.

The cub trio — each weighing about 90 pounds — is quarantined out of sight right now. But people can watch them from a computer, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. daily, at www.lszoo. org/lionwebcam.htm.

Assuming they are healthy and the outdoor temperature rises, the three cubs will go on display March 29.

The cubs, one male and two females, were born Sept. 21 and are from a breeder in southern Wisconsin, said Anita Johnson Alberding, marketing director at the zoo.

They are the first set of what zoo officials hope will be lots of new animals this year, filling the empty cages. They are working on acquiring a couple of Arctic foxes, three wallabies, a barred owl and perhaps a goat.

"We’re going to to try to raise the zoo experience," said Sam Maida, executive director of the Lake Superior Zoological Society, which runs parts of the zoo.

It’s important for the zoo’s health that visitors don’t see empty cages, he said.

"We wouldn’t be investing in new animals if we didn’t have a grasp on a bright future," Maida said.

Besides Nemo, Bubba the polar bear also died last year.

"Last year was kind of a downer year for us, but this will be a better year," Maida said.