Lion Cubs' Names Announced By Blank Park Zoo: UPDATE

DES MOINES, IA — The voters have spoken and the Blank Park Zoo's 2-month-old lion cubs now have names. The two females are Asha and Kali, while the male is Jabari. Zoo officials announced the trio's names this morning at the Tom & Jo Ghrist Great Cats Complex.

Voters chose the names from a list of eight finalists narrowed from about 100 suggestions made by donors in a contest that began last month. The choices and their meaning were:

Male names:

• Jabari (ja-bar-ee): The Brave One
• Bontu (bon-too): Happy
• Noahli (no-ah-lee): Rest, comfort

Female names:

• Asha (ah-sha): Life
• Amara (ah-mar-a): Immortal
• Safiya (sa-fee-ya): Pure
• Amani (ah-mon-ee): Desires, wishes
• Kali (kaw-lee): Fierce, sharp

>>Earlier story: Lion Cubs At Zoo Need Names

The trio are the first cubs for mom Neema and dad Deuce, who had a litter of five. Two did not survive.

African lions, whose native habitat is the savanna and semi-arid regions of east and south Africa, are a carnivorous animal and in the wild their diet would include buffalo, zebra, antelope and giraffe. At Blank Park Zoo, they eat up to eight pounds of beef a day. Unlike tigers, lions conserve energy and will sleep/rest up to 20 hours a day.

Part of the decision about when the cubs will be on view to the public depends on Neema and how comfortable she is with having people so close to them.

"They need to be at least 12 weeks old and go through their vaccinations and then we'll see," zoo spokesman Ryan Bickel said previously. "Another consideration is Mom; she has to be comfortable with it."

Photo via Blank Park Zoo