Zoo Atlanta’s Lion Cubs Are Officially Named

Small, Medium and Large are References of the Past

ATLANTA – October 8, 2008 – Zoo Atlanta is excited to announce that after four months of being referred to by the descriptive names Small, Medium and Large, the three male African lion cubs have been officially named Christos, Mikalos and Athanaisi.

The cubs were named through a generous donation from Zoo Atlanta Board of Directors member Merry Carlos and her husband Chris. The Carlos family is of Greek descent, and all three names are family names: Christos (translates to Chris); Mikalos (translates to Michael), named for Mr. Carlos’ father; and Athanaisi (translates to Thomas), named for his grandfather.

“We’re ecstatic and grateful for the generous donation from the Carlos family. This is another proud moment for all of Atlanta. We are also excited about the entire pride living together, and mom Kiki, dad Kamau and cubs are doing great,” said Dennis Kelly, Zoo Atlanta President and CEO. 

The African lion is classified as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species because of declining populations in the wild. Zoo Atlanta’s cubs are nearly 19 weeks old. The largest cub (Christos) is 23.5 kg, the middle cub (Mikalos) is 21.5 kg, and the smallest cub (Athanaisi) is 20.5 kg. 

Kiki, mother, is one of three adult African lions at Zoo Atlanta. She was born on February 3, 2004, at Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens. She arrived at Zoo Atlanta in December of 2005. Kamau was born on September 2, 2004. He came to Zoo Atlanta from the Denver Zoological Garden in October of 2005.

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