By Dewi Sherry
Werribee Open Range Zoo’s awesome foursome have been named.
Keepers last week announced the winning names for the four new lion cubs – Asali, Ato, Ilola and Lwazi.
Visitors had the opportunity to vote on names for the 13-week-old lion cubs. More than 1500 visitors took part and the winning names attracted 64 per cent of the vote.
The four names are of African-origin, with the smallest female cub receiving the name Asali (aa-sa-lee) which means ‘Honey’ in Swahili. Her sister has been named Ilola (ee-loh-la), which is a Lesotho word and means ‘to become strong’. The two boys have been named Ato (aa-tow), which means ‘he who is born on Saturday’ and has Swahili origins, and Lwazi (el-wa-zee) which means ‘the one with knowledge’ in Zulu.
As the cubs grow older, they’re spending more time outside exploring and playing together. In the coming weeks, they will be introduced to their half siblings Zuberi, Ndidi, Aziza and Kibibi.
