ZOO ATLANTA LION CUBS PREPARE TO DEPART FOR MEXICO
Domestic travels will be donated by Atlanta Peach Movers

ATLANTA – March 9, 2010 – Interstate travelers are accustomed to trucks and trailers, but on March 11, 2010, motorists may share the road with some very unusual moving cargo. Christos, Mikalos and Athanaisi, three 21-month-old African lions born at Zoo Atlanta, are set to depart Thursday for a new home at Africam Safari in Puebla, Mexico. The cubs were named through a generous donation from Zoo Atlanta Board of Directors member Merry Carlos and her husband Chris. The Carlos family is of Greek descent, and all three names are family names: Christos (translates to Chris); Mikalos (translates to Michael), named for Mr. Carlos’ father; and Athanaisi (translates to Thomas), named for his grandfather.

The first leg of the lions’ journey has been generously donated by Atlanta Peach Movers. The big cat brothers, each weighing well over 300 pounds, have been crate-trained specifically for their upcoming road trip, which will begin in Atlanta on a trailer truck supplied and driven by Atlanta Peach Movers. A veterinarian and a keeper from Zoo Atlanta will accompany the lions, which will be monitored via video during the drive to Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Christos, Mikalos and Athanaisi will then be boarded onto a cargo flight for Mexico City.

A fellow accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Africam Safari will house Christos, Mikalos and Athanaisi together in a 10-acre habitat . These young males living together is a scenario that closely mirrors the behavior of many of their wild counterparts. Lion cubs are generally weaned by the age of 8 months and may remain with their mother until they are around 2 years old. Male littermates like Christos, Mikalos and Athanaisi would likely stay together in the wild, where as a unified trio they would have greater opportunities to take over and maintain control of a new pride of females.

"We are excited about this next chapter in the cubs’ lives and deeply grateful to Atlanta Peach Movers for sponsoring their trip to Chicago," said Dr. Rebecca Snyder, Curator of Mammals. "Christos, Mikalos and Athanaisi are closely bonded with each other, so we’re delighted that they’ll be able to stay together in their new home."

Born May 31, 2008, Christos, Mikalos and Athanaisi are the first offspring of 7-year-old lioness Kiki and her mate, 5-year-old male Kamau. The cubs move was recommended by the AZA Lion Species Survival Plan (SSP), which has also recommended another mating for their parents. Zoo Atlanta is also home to a second adult male, 19-year-old Farasi.

About Zoo Atlanta

An accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Zoo Atlanta inspires value and preservation of wildlife through a unique mix of education and outdoor family fun. From well-known native wildlife to critically endangered species on the brink of extinction, the Zoo offers memorable close encounters with more than 1,000 animals from around the world. An all-new carnivore complex, featuring the exciting debut of two new sun bears, is scheduled to open in summer 2010. Zoo Atlanta is also the proud home of Xi Lan, the only giant panda cub born in the U.S. in 2008, and the popular Boundless Budgies: A Parakeet Adventure, the largest interactive experience of its kind in the Southeast. Other highlights include the nation’s largest collection of great apes and a global center of excellence for the care and reproduction of vanishing amphibians and reptiles. Zoo Atlanta is open daily with the exceptions of Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Keeper talks, interactive wildlife shows, education programs and special events run year-round. For more information, call 404.624.WILD or visit zooatlanta.org.

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