The two baby lions born at the Seneca Park Zoo earlier this year have now been named.
They are Savannah and Tiberius. Savannah means "open plain" and Tiberius is associated with the Second Emperor of Rome.
“It's a very regal name," says zoo director Larry Sorel. We're confident that the male will grow into that image, based on the way his father looks."
The public entered nearly 3-thousand names during the naming contest held between May 28th and June 30th.
"That’s really a reflection of the thought of the support of that the community has shown for the zoo," Sorel explains.
Sorel says the pair of cubs are growing and doing well. He says they hope to introduce them to their parents sometime this fall.
Joining Savannah and Tiberius is five-month old Amail. She's from the Bronx Zoo. Sorel says they sent her to the Seneca Park Zoo two weeks ago so she wouldn’t be hand-reared alone.
"She was a little nervous at first and really realizing she was a lion,” says Sorel. “But over the last two weeks, she's really starting to recognize what she is and starting to play with our cubs."
Sorel says she'll be with the zoo for the next two years - before heading off to another safari park.
The public can visit the three baby lions at the zoo on mornings and afternoons.