Always wanted to own a lion? Helsinki zoo will let you name one.

News 5.12.2014 10:46 | updated 5.12.2014 10:46

Helsinki’s Korkeasaari Zoo is inviting name proposals for three Asiatic lion cubs born at the zoo earlier this year. Officials have decided that the animals’ names should begin with the letter G. They’re also hoping that suggestions will reference the cubs’ homeland in northeast India or their distinctive attributes.

The cub triplets love to play hunting games with their siblings and parents. Image: Korkeasaari

Animal keepers at Korkeasaari Zoo are providing cat- and animal-lovers a unique opportunity to provide names for three majestic Asiatic lion cubs born in Helsinki last spring. All animals born at the zoo this year will have names that begin with the letter G – this includes the lion triplets.
In reaching out to the public for help naming the cubs, zoo officials have provided two main guidelines: they should either call to mind the animals’ natural environment in northeast India or their distinct physical characteristics.
Zookeepers say that the now eight month-old rascals are full of energy and are all equally strong. They are also beginning to display rudimentary hunting skills as they play, stalking their parents, each other and even zoo visitors and workers who pass by their enclosure.
The lions first came to Korkeasaari in 1992 as gifts of the Indian government. The zoo is now the proud keeper of three adults and the three cubs. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Asiatic lion as an endangered species due to their small numbers in the wiild.
Zoo officials will accept name suggestions for the cubs up to January 6, 2015.