Khaleej Times

Children, name two lion cubs and win prizes

- Sherouk Zakaria sherouk@khaleejtim­es.com

dubai — Through its social media platforms, the Dubai Municipali­ty has invited children to name two rare white lion cubs that were born in Dubai Safari Park.

Winners will receive valuable gifts and an exclusive visit to Dubai Safari with their parents. A short video, showing the rare male and female white cubs, invited children to choose the right names for them after they were born earlier this month at Dubai Safari in good health and are taken care of by their mother.

The civic body said the cubs are under the supervisio­n of doctors and specialist­s.

Hussain Nasser Lootah, directorge­neral of the Dubai Municipali­ty, said the competitio­n was launched to encourage community participat­ion, engage children with animals and educate them about rare animal breeds.

He noted that since children are an essential segment of society, they will be targeted through Dubai Safari’s different educationa­l and entertainm­ent programmes. Children will have to choose among male and female names suggested in the municipali­ty’s social media video and send it to the civic body’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.

White lions breed naturally in the wild, unlike white tigers, and the lions born come originally from the Timbavati region of South Africa. Although rare, white lions have not yet been classified as endangered because biologists still consider them as yellowish browns.

 ?? Supplied photo ?? The two white lion cubs at Dubai Safari. —
Supplied photo The two white lion cubs at Dubai Safari. —

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