Adam & Jagger

2012

17 March: We have finally realized that Adam and Jagger’s little hobby of suckling on each other’s ears is behaviour demonstrated only when we come to visit.  It is almost as if having us around reminds them of their younger selves, turning them into babies all over again. The strong bond the two are sharing seems to be unbreakable.  As time goes by they are turning out to be the best looking lions we have, with very long dark manes and big beautiful eyes. So even though they are not as easygoing as Noam and Tom, going in with them is always an experience because of how impressive they are. This last week their platform was finally finished and the two can often be seen sitting up there.

27 February: These two were given a big thick rope to play with. Adam loved it from the very first moment and wouldn’t give it up, so poor Jagger just kept walking between us, feeling all left out and upset. A good thing about the toy is that it gives Jagger some time off from Adam suckling on his ears. We came back the next day to retrieve the rope and saw that the boys did a good job tearing it apart, so now it became a cub toy instead, and the Tiger girls LOVE it.

2011

Adam and Jagger in their new home - aged 1 (August 2011)

8 November: These boys are getting very big now, but still love it when we come to visit them. They continue to impress us with how dark and long their manes are compared to the other boys that are older than them. Even though they are so big, they still act like two naughty little boys. When we feed them, they always play with their food first before they start eating.

12 September: Adam and Jagger are such good boys, nothing similar to the naughty babies they used to be! At feeding time the gate is still being opened and the meat given to them that way. They are very relaxed and confident in their new home and have settled in completely. Their platform is almost done and they seem to enjoy it. The only thing now left to do is build the 2 level that will provide them some shade when they sit up there on hot days.

29 August: Adam and Jagger are still doing really well in their new home they have also just got a new platform built in their enclosure (see photos below). They loved the company while we were busy building the enclosure and were like really naughty little children grabbing the tools and running away with them. Before the platform was even finished they were already climbing up on it and enjoying the view of the zebras walking on the other side of the fence.

Adam and Jagger checking out the new platform (29 August '11)

Jagger loves the new platform!

23 August: Adam and Jagger have adapted really well to their new home. They love to run and roll and play in the lush long grass in their enclosure but the minute they hear one of us call them, they stop whatever it is that they are doing and come running for some attention. We are still going to see them regularly and they are giving really good lion hugs better than ever before. Their manes continue to get darker by the day and for their age are much more impressive than some of the older boys around them.

15 August: The boys turned one-year-old on the 10th! They are now each getting fed a hind leg or a shoulder every three days. We are still spending lots of time with them and they are loving being in their much bigger enclose and being around new lions. Their behaviour is improving now that they have a much bigger enclosure to play in. They now weigh approximately 120 kilograms. Their manes are starting to look fuller and they are starting to look like such big boys!

One-year-old Jagger (August 2011)

8 August: Adam and Jagger having been growing at a phenomenal rate and are now huge (cheeky) lions. At the start of the week they were moved up to a larger enclosure by Mrs White, and with plenty of room to stretch their legs they seem much more chilled. The move went smoothly and the boys are settling in nicely. Nevertheless they’re still loving their human companions and come running whenever they’re called, big softies.

1 August: Adam and Jagger – who turn 1 on 10 August – are getting closer to being moved to a big lion enclosure down at the bottom, so we placed the transportation boxes in with them. Jagger loves to try and climb on top of them, while Adam is still very wary of the boxes.

JULY 2011

25 July: The boys are getting so big and eating all of their lion food up!! Adam and Jagger had a pretty relaxing past week. They enjoyed playing with the tyres that Delano and the new volunteers hung in the trees.

18 July: Adam and Jagger had a handling with pro surfer Jordy Smith on Sunday. What lucky boys! They have been pretty laid back due to the warm weather and have been loving the increased belly rubs. Adam has been climbing in the trees lately trying to catch Jagger off guard so he can claim one of the tyres after Jagger has stolen Adam’s toy away.

11 July: Jagger has taken to climbing the trees in his enclosure and still comes tumbling down when he gets too high. He likes to sulk off and hide after he falls but quickly comes back for a tummy rub. Adam has started eating his dinner with more gusto and has stopped letting Jagger take both of the legs. Both are looking like such big strong lions!

4 July: Adam and Jagger have been submerging their dinner in a pool full of rainwater. Once they get the legs nice and soggy the boys pick them up and swing them at each other, getting water everywhere. When we drain the pool Jagger loves to fight with the water as it runs out of the hole.

JUNE 2011

27 June: We changed Adam and Jagger’s diet last week. They are no longer getting 2 kilo steaks twice daily. Instead they are now receiving whole legs or shoulders with the Predator powder every two days. Initially, they weren’t quite sure what do with their new food, Adam just kept licking the leg and looking at us as if to ask “am I doing this right?” Jagger also seemed to be bullying Adam a little though so we are going to try feeding Adam separately to give him an opportunity to fill his tummy before Jagger gets involved. The boys have been behaving very well and both volunteers and staff having been enjoying time with them.

14 June: These two babies are still very playful. Jagger was hiding from visitors up in one of the trees and accidentally climbed too high on a branch that couldn’t support his weight. He came tumbling down and landed with somewhat of a shock. After lying quietly for a minute he was up chasing Adam around their enclosure.

6 June: The two boys are still very clumsy as they still try to climb up the trees every day and always end up falling out of them (and then they go and lie by their water bowls and sulk!) They are now weighing in at around 80kg. They are still having a steak in the morning and a steak in the evening. By the end of the month they will be getting a horse front leg to share. Baby Goat also loves teasing the two boys as she eats the fresh grass that grows next to their enclosure and they can spend hours just play-stalking her.

31 May: Jagger is definitely the more dominant of the two, always winning in their play fights. Adam is very submissive even to the big 4 when we walk then down the passageway. Adam’s body posture becomes very submissive while Jagger pushes his chest out and charges the fence at the big 4 being very brave.  They had a meeting with Baby Goat this week when she ate some weeds next to their fence. Adam got zapped while trying to get her. Jagger’s mane is still getting darker by the day and is even darker than some of our 2 year old lions – which is very impressive for a 9 month old cub.

Who's this funny looking boy? It's Jagger - up close and personal (May 2011)

23 May: The boys were great this week, they ate all their food and played with each other nicely. Jagger is really starting to show his dominance though. The boys ate one of the toys that were bought by one of the volunteers. Oh dear!

12 May: We had a couple of rainy days here so the boys’ pool filled up with water. Jagger loves getting in and playing with his ball in the water while Adam pretty much hates the water. He won’t go near it and puts a lot of effort in balancing around the pool’s edges. They got new chewing toys this week. We put meat in them to get them to try and get it and to keep them busy. We love throwing the balls in the water just to see Jagger jump in, splashing everyone in sight in the process.

5 May: Adam and Jagger both got very dirty one rainy morning. Adam’s mane was so muddy and dark that he looked exactly like Jagger for a bit – confusing us all! The cubs had a close encounter with the Big Four when we walked the four past their enclosure. Adam was being very submissive, head down avoiding eye contact while Jagger was very confident – walking with his head held high. They’re eating well: about 4 kg a day each. We’ve strung up their tyre from a tree and they’re enjoying playing with it.

APRIL 2011

25 April: We have stopped walking these boys as they didn’t like to keep to the path and kept visiting the African Wild Cats and other areas. Adam climbed a tree the other day and broke the branch and fell spectaculary to the ground and he was crying and not happy because he wasn’t expecting it at all. They were given some liver as a special treat, and we were so excited thinking they would love it, but neither of them touched it -they obviously thought it was disgusting and not like their usual steaks! Both have really big manes growing so they look like they will be huge boys!

13 April: Adam and Jagger are still growing bigger and bigger every day. Jagger’s mane hair under his chest is getting a lot darker than the fur on the rest of his body. Adam’s on the other hand is not as dark but he has got a much bigger Mohawk as well as longer hair under his chest. They have also discovered a new way of keeping themselves busy by trying to carry their tyres up the trees but are not yet very successful. They also love stalking the people that are walking on the boardwalk and especially stalking Baby Goat when she does her daily boardwalk patrol. They are really becoming more and friendy as they grow older and are always looking for a game to play with us. They turned 8-months-old on Sunday.

4 April: Adam and Jagger are getting really big now and catching up to the big 4 cubs in size. Both have quite impressive little manes growing. Jagger’s is bigger on his chest while Adam has a better mohawk. Both are still dark in colour and have huge paws, bigger than our hands. Yesterday a man came in with leather pants for a handling and they loved to lick them! Both have a good wrestle around and are always in stalk mode with each other but thankfully not us, except they are very interested in water bottle when we fill up their bowls.

MARCH 2011

30 March: They started their walks again after a short break due to misbehaving. They a little bit better but still love to play and jump around the bushes. Yesterday we cleared out their enclosure from overgrown tree branches and Adam and Jagger kept competing for the biggest branch and carried it around the enclosure. They still eat two big steaks of meat a day each.

22 March: We can tell that the boys are getting big and adventurous now. They have realized that we will not leave them so they are not as keen to follow us on walks. They prefer wrestling and hugging each other in the grass, so this week we have not been able to walk them but we will try again next week. They are still very fond of each other and seem to always be sleeping and playing together.

15 March: These boys are now 7-months-old. We still walk them every morning and evening and they love to wrestle and stalk each other, then run and jump all over one another. They are still on 2 steaks a day and always jump up on the platform before they eat. Even if the meat falls off on to the floor they will get it and carry it back up onto the platform. Both always drink together out of the same water bowl even though there are 2, so it seems these boys are very close and can’t imagine a day without each other.

8th: Adam and Jagger are very big now at around 60 kilos and very dark in colour. Both have a lot of fur growing on the top of their head for their mohawk, almost more fur than our boys Tom and Noam. However, they don’t have much fur on their chests yet. They are still happy to play with each other, but Adam is more social than Jagger and always gives hugs hello. Adam’s black tail fur seems to be disappearing, thanks to Jagger!

1st: These boys are impossible to separate! They have a very strong bond and are always together. They are far more interested in each others company than people but they are very well behaved and have calmed down a lot. We get nice hugs and kisses and then they go and play with each other. Both stampede out the enclosure when its walk time and never want to come back inside. They are also climbing the trees really high to escape the summer heat.

FEBRUARY 2011

23rd: Adam and Jagger are getting really big and weigh about 60 kilos. Adam has really beautiful intense eyes and an open face, while Jagger has a narrow head. Both have a Mohawk coming through and the fur on the chest is getting rougher and changing to become mane-like. The workers were cutting the grass next to their enclosure and Jagger was really scared so Adam comforted him. Acchh shame!

16th: Adam and Jagger are getting so big and dark in colour, they are very good looking. They actually look very different to our lions and their behaviour is too. This week on their walk they got very excited over a small bush buck in the loop and caught it. They did no harm to the buck, just a few scratches so we looked after it for one night then set it free the next day. Adam and Jagger were quite proud and now when we walk them they always go back to that spot and search for the buck. They are having a steak in the morning and evening.

7th: Adam and Jagger have had a few very exciting days as the park has had an amazing photographer from Israel come to take lots of nature photos of them and they are behaving perfectly! They have nice long walks in the loop and show off their climbing, jumping and hunting skills with each other for the camera. Both are having two steaks a day and are getting very, very big! Both are actually quite dark in colour, more so than the older four cubs – and they have different temperaments and behaviour to them as well.

2nd: Adam and Jagger are sometimes a little naughty on their walk but generally are very good.  Neither ate their steaks yesterday, as they were looking a little full, and today they only ate once. Both their faces are becoming very different so it’s quite easy to tell them apart, however Adam is still the good-looking one. Both are playing with a yellow ball we have given them as a new toy, and like to demonstrate their ball skills during handlings.

JANUARY 2011

25th: Adam and Jagger are so amazing and healthy and are growing up so fast. Today they received their first whole steaks and ate them really well, like real cubs! We are so proud of them! Their tree climbing needs more practice because they keep falling out due to their poor depth perception, but they are strong boys and they are learning fast. Both are very well behaved and are walking great as well.

18th: Adam and Jagger have settled into their new home very nicely. They suit the tigers’ old house perfectly as they have loads of trees to climb and space to chase each other around. We get them to eat up on the platforms at every feed and they run up when we come in with food. They have calmed down a lot with having more room and can exert their energy on each other rather than us. Their fur is changing under their chin where their mane should start to grow soon, and they are behaving great in handlings.

11th: The boys are now 5-months-old, and are becoming more mischievous. They are more confident climbing their little tree, but we are moving them into the tigers’ old enclosure so they have more to play with and more space to romp around. They are still on 3 meals a day: breakfast and lunch is a bowl of chopped steak and dinner is a large rib. Jagger remains the larger cub, but Adam still fights his corner.

3rd: The boys are growing up fast and developing their own personalities. Adam is still the more relaxed and easy going cub while Jagger the more energetic and playful of the two. We have given them a new rugby ball to play with and they love chasing it around. It’s been very busy over these past few days and the boys have coped very well. They are now off their bottles and are getting just meat chunks and ribs. They are still doing two laps on their walk around the loop and are behaving very nicely but occasionally chase after the odd peacock that is in the loop.

DECEMBER 2010

20th: Adam and Jagger are doing great as usual, both growing at an incredible rate. Handlings with them are so popular and the boys are doing so well, we are really proud of them. They now look the same in colour (as Jagger was always lighter) except their faces and tails are different. It has been raining quite a lot this week so the boys have been playing in the mud and getting extremely dirty and playful with each other. They are doing great on their walks and know the way perfectly.

14th: Both boys are looking amazing and healthy. Jagger has become a little darker in colour so his coat is now similar to Adam’s, but their faces are quite different so it’s very easy to tell them apart. Jagger has chewed off the black fur on Adam’s tail so Adam is looking a little odd! The boys are now walking 2 laps in the loop and are coming along nicely. They are just past 4 months of age now. Handlings with them are popular but we make sure we do not tire them out. The park is busy due to school holidays just starting and the Christmas/New Year season well underway.

7th: This week the boys had their enclosure revamped, with some stylish bark planted so that they can play with it. You can also see by their attitude and character that their personalities are developing, and it looks very  promising. They are very good on their walks, and we filmed them with two walks.  They love to talk through the fence with the other cubs Carrie, Noam, Tom and Fufa.  They are less possessive with their bottles and love to eat their rib on the wooden platform at night.  Adam weighs in a miraculous 24kg and Jagger a whopping 25kg. Still got a while to go until they hit 260kg!

NOVEMBER 2010

29th: Both boys are looking great and putting on weight every day. Adam is still the cub with the darker stripe of spots down his back and Jagger the lighter one. Both know the walking lap very well and are practically jumping for joy each morning to go on their walk, although Jagger sometimes likes to think he can have a growling match with Boris and Jodi through the fence. The cubs now eat their rib up on the baby platform (practice for when they are bigger)!

23rd: Both boys are doing great, and growing by the minute. They are now getting a full rib each at the end of the day, and the ribs are always clean by morning. Adam loves his bottle and takes longer to eat his meat than Jagger. Adam has developed a habit of walking around in circles around his bowl as he eats. Very cute! They are excellent walkers, and go directly to the gate to start their walk where the cubs entrance gate is. Adam even pushes the gate open as he usually gets there first! See our latest photos below:

The brothers are still very close

'He aint heavy, he's my brother!'

15th: Adam and Jagger got a new toy: a leather rawhide ring which we gave them today. Jagger loved his – he took it immediately and started chewing on it, holding it between his paws. So cute! Adam was initially a little scared of his, but he then got the hang of it and enjoyed it too. When we came back about an hour later, they were still chewing! Other than that, they start with a full rib tomorrow, which will replace their last meat bowl. Up until now they’ve only been getting baby ribs. Watch this space to see how the boys react.

8th: Adam and Jagger are doing great, and are eating very nicely. Neither of them are possessive now when eating, and have stopped using their paws when drinking out of the bottle. Each morning they are very happy to see us and greet us lovingly, and on their walks they do fantastically well, although Jagger likes to stray every now and then but Adam is great. Jagger weighs 15 kilos (33 pounds) and Adam weighs 16 kilos (35 pounds). Cubs will be 13 weeks old on Tuesday.

2nd: Both boys are growing up so quickly! They are very energetic and loving, and love to play around with each other most of the day. They now have their 2 bottles and 2 bowls of meat each day, as well as a baby rib each evening for them to chew on all night, which they took to straight away. We have stopped weighing them as they have become impossible and refuse to stand still long enough to record how heavy they are. Cubs will be 12 weeks old on Tuesday.

OCTOBER 2010

25TH: Both babies are doing great, and are enjoying their walks each day. However, they are very easily distracted and like to wander off and go on mini adventures. Today they were weighed, and Adam now weighs 11.8 Kilos (26 pounds) and Jagger is 11.2 Kilos (25 pounds).  We have also increased the amount of meat they are getting for their 11:00am and 2:00pm feeds. Jagger is getting much better and not so possessive over his bottle/bowl, and both are doing really well with handlings.   Cubs will be 11 weeks old on Tuesday.

18TH: We are proud to announce that the babies are getting walked now around the parking lot. This started Friday October 15, 2010. They have both been excellent walkers although they wandered off a few times to get a better look at the restaurant.

11TH: Babies, are doing extremely well and are gaining weight quickly. Adam is 9.89 Kilos (21.78 lbs) while Jagger is 9.3 kilos (20.46 lbs). Both are playing a lot more and we have upped their meat feedings once more to 2 and a half cups of meat. They are still hungry and wanting more.

SEPTEMBER 2010

14TH: Babies Jagger and Adam are 5 weeks old already. Adam weighs 6.095 kg while Jagger is 5.52 kg. We’ve started to feed them a porridge mixture with the cub milk and introduced the boys to meat. Jagger loved the meat and wanted more while Adam ate well also.

6TH: Adam (Blue) weighs 5.177kg and Jagger (Red) weighs 4.655. They were dewormed last week at the age of 22 days. They are +-4 weeks. Yesterday we changed their formula from kitty milk to Seaview cub milk and they seem to like it. They are down to 5 feeds a day, three hours apart: average of 200ml per feed. Adam is definitely the calm baby and Jagger the more fesity one. They’re not as developed as other babies but maybe that’s because they are boys! They started teething about 5 days ago and don’t like to be helped to pee/poo (independent babies!).

AUGUST 2010: We’ve got two new little lions, both boys! Adam (Lambert) and Jagger (Mick) were born on the 10th of the month. They are from another Park and will introduce a new blood line to Seaview Lion Park.