Delila

April 1, 2011

Jenniffer says: Delila is an African lion born February 12, 2010. She came to live at the Wildlife World Zoo and Aquarium in Litchfield Park, Arizona, at eight weeks of age. She was started on meat (mixed in a bowl with her milk) shortly after she arrived as she wasn't wanting the bottle. She was housed in the new baby nursery for a few months before going outside to the baby feline yard. She graduated up to a big cat exhibit just a month ago. She loves to play chase up and down her exhibit with customers, and lucky for the customers, there is a barrier and fence to keep her from getting to close to them! Delila currently weighs 100 lbs and will continue to grow, tripling or more her weight. According to her lead keeper, Jamie, she is friendly to people she knows, but if you're a stranger watch out! Since I work at the zoo I get to see her growing up and look forward to the day when she has babies!

All Photos Courtesy of and ©: Jenniffer Reid

Jenniffer is a self-taught photographer and you can visit Ball of Yarn Images to learn more about her work
Jennifer lives with her own baby Omashu near Phoenix, Arizona

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Comments and LOLs:

Z - 13 years ago

This is not a kitten. Kittens don't weigh 100 lbs.

Jim Maney - 13 years ago

If this is not April Fool's humor, it should be.

Kayli - 13 years ago

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307 points

I think it would be fun to pet a baby lion someday. Delia is beautiful :)

paulajeanne - 13 years ago

Tweet This LOL

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629 points

CarolB57 - 13 years ago

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542 points

Delila isn't a kitten but it appears she sure acts like one :)

Koala10 - 13 years ago

Tweet This LOL

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70 points

Koala10 - 13 years ago

Tweet This LOL

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70 points

lizziebear - 13 years ago

1 points

This is certainly a lovely April Fools! If you're going to do it, do it really cutely!

MomcatSooma - 13 years ago

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930 points

What a gorgeous girl Delia is! It must have been such a joy to have spent time with her while she was growing. A dream come true for so many of us. Purrrrrrr

Gale - 13 years ago

Baby cat = kitten. Lion = big cat
baby lion = big kitten. Seriously, folks.

lisaboese - 13 years ago

674 points

Oh, isn't she just the sweetest?!? Maybe not with strangers, but still.....!!! Beautiful girl!!!!

puppy3ca - 13 years ago

She is gorgeous, but why youw oudl want her to have babies that will also spend their whole lives in captivity is beyond me. Very sad.
Poor, beautiful girl...

CareAboutCats - 13 years ago

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326 points

Absolutely stunning, and most certainly to be respected! Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos of Delila!

a. - 13 years ago

Huminz: y u no get Aprilz Foolz?

Lynda - 13 years ago

94 points

Geez folks, just enjoy the beautiful pictures !

She is a DOLL !

JulietsMom - 13 years ago

131 points

I think she's a perfect kitten, if a bit big for her age. :-) My, what big paws you have...

tinymagnolia - 13 years ago

48 points

what a lovely LARGE kitten! she is adorable. a lion is just a big kitty when all is said and done! :)

wolfgirl66 - 13 years ago

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Totally ADORABLE!

mrskitton - 13 years ago

584 points

Kitten, baby lion.....who cares?? They are all felines and she deserves a spot here! She is just adorable!

mma - 13 years ago

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1405 points

Delila is a truly gorgeous KITTEN; will be quite a while before she reaches adulthood. So fun to see her which I would like to do in person. Hope she is happy in her protected home. I love her name!!!

skyeltd - 13 years ago

Tweet This LOL

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249 points

jhooty58 - 13 years ago

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95 points

Delila is delightful. I've had the honor of working with big cats too and they are a real treat.

docsquid - 13 years ago

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642 points

Totally and utterly like our small versions of the same - baby cats do similar things the World over! She is gorgeous, and I don't mind if this is an April fool - thank you for sharing the photos of this lovely girl.

ember - 13 years ago

18 points

Baby Kitty!!! Very pretty girl.

Snowysmom - 13 years ago

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395 points

This is the first time I've seen a wildlife baby on this site, and it's wonderful! Delila is a beautiful lion cub, and I'm sure she will grow into a magnificent lioness!

BirmanMama - 13 years ago

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951 points

A kitten through and through. She's a bit bigger than we are used to, but playful, joyous and no doubt purry, too. Thank you for the beautiful photos of her.

Shirley - 13 years ago

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267 points

Isn't she just so beautiful!!!

Julie92647 - 13 years ago

In my house when we were growing up, all cats were "house lions". The only difference is that this one doesn't belong in a house. She's beautiful. Thanks for the photos.

judymack - 13 years ago

I think it is a great April Fools! Wish we could see more big cat kittens of all types (some are not so big) and bring awareness to their plight in life so they do not become extinct! Bravo to Good Morning Kitten for showing this to us!

dcgoodson - 13 years ago

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62 points

dcgoodson - 13 years ago

62 points

happy kitty!

amalbici - 13 years ago

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189 points

cute lil thing - love those huge paws.

Fastrunner98 - 13 years ago

17 points

Delia is a beautiful kitty. Thanks for sharing her pics & life!

Natthecat - 13 years ago

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∞ points

Yes, I see the resemblance. All kitties are felines, but Delila is a cub and is it my imagination, but she seems hungry!?

Natthecat - 13 years ago

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∞ points

This really woke me up!

kjsuhr - 13 years ago

4 points

If you think Delila is cute (and she is!) check out photos of the 7 lion cubs at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/Great… These guys are so much fun to watch live, too. If you visit, this is a stop you must make! (Lucky me, I live a few blocks from the zoo.)

Michele - 13 years ago

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27 points

I love the happy kitten face!

kibblegirl - 13 years ago

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1057 points

I love Delila, she looks like the "Queen" of the jungle here. What a wonderful presentation for us Kitten people on April 1st. Thanks for the story and pictures!
I once had the pleasure of holding a lion cub and he was so warm and fuzzy, just like our own catties.

itigger2 - 13 years ago

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277 points

does it get any cuter than this? Love her

jojosmom417 - 13 years ago

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33 points

If that isn't a kitten face, then I don't know what is! Delila is a gorgeous baby Lion (baby cat=kitten). Thanks so much for the wonderful April Fool!

chocoluv - 13 years ago

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213 points

Immense beauty!

Dimora - 13 years ago

8 points

Certainly NOT up for adoption I assume :) Gorgeous girl! May she live a long and healthy life to see many new cubs into the world!

Manicat - 13 years ago

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Thanks so much for sharing this great kitty! And with the way the world is and natural habitat is being destroyed, captive breeding stocks of animals may be the only way to them to survive. So I'd rather see well kept lions in captivity saving their species than to see them vanish from the face of the earth.

lisaboese - 13 years ago

674 points

I was thinking the same thing, Manicat; we need to save these species!!!

amycats - 13 years ago

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