Thursday 13 August 2009

Josie's Birthday Bash

Our beautiful lioness Josie will be 9 years old on Saturday 29th August and the keepers are already busy planning her party! On the afternoon of her birthday we will be giving our lions lots of enrichment. We are letting you know in plenty of time so that you can come and watch Josie, and her father Solomon, receiving the presents. So, what do you get a lioness for her birthday? Well, a party is not a party without food! It will be a feed day for the lions but their meat will be hidden around the enclosure and inside some of the enrichment items. This is going to include birthday cardboard boxes, hanging hessian sacks, boomer balls and scents. In addition they will each be given a birthday bloodberg. This is the big cat alternative to chocolate cake!

Josie was born at Dartmoor Zoo in 2000 and grew up in a pride of 4 lions, with her parents Peggy and Solomon, and maternal grandmother Emma. Unfortunately Peggy died of lung cancer in 2006 and old age caught up with a 20 year old Emma in 2007. Solomon however, now 14, is still Josie's companion and, as he has been vasectomised, there is no danger of them breeding. Josie is a very cheeky, playful and agile girl; we are looking forward to celebrating her special day and hope there will be plenty of people in fine voice to sing Happy Birthday to her!

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