3 lion cubs greet visitors at Lincoln Park Zoo

The Lincoln Park Zoo showed its pride Friday — lion pride, that is.

The zoo welcomed three African lion cubs to public view Friday as part of their integration into the zoo after being born Jan. 9.

Sidai, Pesho and Lomelok were born to mother lion Zari, who gave birth to cub Pilipili just last year.

The cubs have been progressing behind the scenes and vets have closely monitored them before bringing them into the public, according to Maureen Leahy, the zoo’s vice president of animal care and horticulture.

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“Pesho, Sidai, and Lomelok have surpassed many critical milestones including nursing, opening their eyes, their first vet exam and meeting the rest of the lion pride, to name a few,” Leahy said in a news release. “We are so excited to watch them continue to grow, discover the habitat, and see their individual personalities shine through.”

The cubs will have regular access to the zoo’s exhibit starting Saturday, weather permitting, but zoo visitors should keep in mind that the cubs can choose to be out of public view.

The cubs can also be seen through a video stream on Zoolife.