Three six-month-old lion cubs have been sent to the United States to spend a few months at the Denver Zoo in Colorado as a gift from Qatar’s ruling family, the Denver Post reports.

The triplets – brothers Tsavo and Enzi and their sister, Sabi – will be taken in by the zoo until a permanent home can be found for them, the zoo said in a statement on its website, adding that were sent to Denver to receive better care.

The lions’ parents were apparently a gift from Sudan to Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, one of the Emir’s sons. They bred and the mother died of complications, the zoo stated:

With the lion family having doubled in size, the sheik contacted zoos in the United States that could better meet the needs of this lion pride.

Denver Zoo was asked to assist as Curator of Large Mammals Hollie Colahan is also the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Lion Species Survival Plan (SSP) Coordinator, which determines the best home for lions in North American zoos…Colahan travelled to Qatar, met with veterinarians caring for the lions and personally oversaw the import process in late October.

Lions are considered endangered in parts of Africa and fewer than 30,000 are left in the wild.

Meanwhile, Qatar residents are anxiously awaiting the reopening of the Doha Zoo, which closed indefinitely in August for renovations. The estimated $55 million revamping is supposed to help the zoo, which has been criticized for its small size and treatment of animals, to meet international standards.

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Credit: Photo by Matt