Updates on Noam, Carrie, Tom and Ofir (Fufa)
The big 4 watching a plane go over the farm, from left to right, Noam, Fufa, Carrie & Tom. (Photo May 2011: Catie Cartwright)
The boys - all big and beautiful (August 2011)
2012
17 March: Visiting Carrie and Fufa on Fridays is slowly becoming a regular occurrence. The girls behave very well and it is still quite easy to tell the difference between the two as far as looks are concerned: Fufa is bigger and lighter in colour while Carrie is small with a darker colour and the same wide nose she had since she was a baby. Personality wise the two are quite similar: they are both very happy to see us when we come. Carrie no longer gets overly excited and doesn’t cry as much. Fufa is no longer a snob and always comes up for hugs and kisses. Tom and Noam are growing by the minute; they are very calm and relaxed boys that listen very well. Noam is the pleasant one while Tom can be a bit grumpy at times. Tom’s mane is growing quicker than Noam’s and he is getting a much darker colour as well. Day by day Noam is turning into the spitting image of his grandfather Nebbi. We try and visit the boys 2-3 times a week and that is usually the one visit the volunteers do not want to miss as Noam and Tom are such good boys!
27 February: Fufa and Carrie: We went in with the girls the other week after a long absence. Much to our surprise they were very well behaved and listened to us when we were trying to calm them down when they were getting overly excited. Fufa is still the bigger one out of the two and Carrie still has a big wide nose. Personality-wise they are both very loving and affectionate, although Carrie still whines a lot. Size-wise the girls are much smaller than their brothers and they are both very light in colour.
Tom and Noam: They got an even bigger Boomer Ball than the leopards. Tom ran all along the enclosure rolling the ball, catching it in the air, holding it with his paws – he absolutely loved it! An hour and a bit later when we drove past again, he was still busy playing with his ball. Noam on the other hand didn’t seem to care too much and was more interested in staring at the volunteers who were standing on the other side of the fence. Tom tends to get moody and grumpy from time to time and is the more active out of the two. Noam is the sensible, calm one that just loves to spend time with us. Tom’s mane is growing faster than Noam’s, but Noam is still the bigger one out of the two. Tom has even started practising mini roars lately and is not doing too badly!
2011
15 November: Noam and Tom are doing extremely well and are still in the enclosure next to the drive-through. We are still able to go into the enclosure with them and spend time with them. They really enjoy the attention and love it when we visit them. Carrie and Ofir are also doing very well. The staff still go and visit them, but they are a little more playful than Noam and Tom. They are also considerably smaller than the boys.
12 September: We cleaned up Noam and Tom’s enclosure last week, making it all nice for them. Hopefully we’ll get to clean Carrie and Fufa’s enclosure later this week and maybe even start building their platform. Noam and Tom are so mellow and well-behaved that it seems that we’ll be handling them for quite a long while – so any volunteers coming over in the next few months might be up for a real treat going in with those two big boys! We went to visit Fufa and Carrie last week as well. They were so excited to see us that they started running and jumping so we went out, but you can still see what good girls they are and that they can tell the difference between what is allowed and what is not.
29 August: The big four are still doing great down in the bigger camps. Their feeding schedule has also change and are now only being fed on a Friday. They are still behaving themselves very well with us and we still regularly go in with them and spend time with them.
15 August: The volunteers enjoyed spending a lot of time with Tom and Noam (pictured above) last week. They are still very vocal when we see them and give us lots of lion rubs when we visit. They eat twice a week and each get a leg or a shoulder. Tom & Noam’s manes are growing nicely. They are starting to look like the big boys! They now weigh approximately 150 kilograms. Carrie and Fufa (pictured below) are enjoying their bigger enclosure and are still getting harassed by the bigger surrounding lions, Eve, Jodika, & Lotti. They still come running when we visit and call them. They enjoy play-fighting with each other, and we see them rolling around in their grassy enclosure. They now weigh approximately 120 kilograms.
Ofir (Fufa) and Carrie (August 2011)
Fufa (Aug 2011)
1 August: These four are all doing very well and have settled in to their respective homes brilliantly. Below, the latest photo of Noam and Tom playing in their new space. Also, Carrie and Fufa in theirs.
Noam and Tom (1 August 2011)
Carrie and Fufa in their new enclosure
13 July: The four have settled down in their new homes nicely and are doing well. When we go past either enclosure they are happy to see us and talk to us through the fence, but they also love their much bigger, grass-covered homes.
4 July: Carrie and Fufa are enjoying their ‘big lion’ enclosure. They still look small compared to the girls across from them, but appear to be making some friends down at the bottom. Noam and Tom have been very playful recently, but when we had a very heavy rainstorm they were found hiding in their house. In the morning and mid-afternoon they are usually basking on their platform for the visitors to see.
27 June: Last week was a bittersweet week. We moved the Big 4 into the larger enclosures at the bottom of the hill since they have become too big to be up top. They were split up with Carrie and Fufa in an enclosure near Thor, while Tom and Noam can be seen as you approach the drive through area. They are adjusting well and seem to enjoy their new homes, while we up top miss seeing them every day.
A week after the move, Carrie and Fufa are settling in very well considering they are in an enclosure surrounded by other lions. It could have seen them being hassled but everyone seems to be behaving themselves and the girls are happy. Noam and Tom have it a little easier with just the drive-through girls nearby to ‘harass’ them. All three of the girls seem very interested in these new additions and watch them intently. We still go in and interact with both the boys and girls and they all love this time they get to spend with us. They all look tiny in their new enclosures and we hope they grow up to be fine specimens.
14 June: The public seem to enjoy playing with the Big 4, despite their intimidating size. Over the weekend many visitors opted to interact with these gentle lions and were greatly surprised at how well-behaved they are. Quite a few visitors bonded with Tom while giving him a much-deserved belly rub and were able to witness first hand just how playful our bigger babies can be.
6 June: Our time with the big four is slowly starting to run out now as they turned 14 months old yesterday and the time for them to move on to the bigger enclosures is getting closer. They are still very well behaved and very loving towards the volunteers and the customers who are brave enough to go in with these big babies. The only reason why we have to move them is because of their size, as they are getting too big for their current enclosure.
31 May: The big 4 are only a couple of days away from being 14 months old now but are still very good and handle very easily. Noam is still very loving and always comes running at full speed to say hi to us in the mornings when we come in to clean. Fufa is much better now and much more social. She runs up with the other three now to greet us. She still has a very pretty face — the prettiest out of all of them. Carrie is still the smallest and is the same size as Adam and Jagger. Tom is now becoming more dominating when it comes to food — he takes a whole leg for himself.
23 May: The big 4 get really excited when the cubs go on there walks, they rub up against them through the fence. Fufa was quite grumpy with us this week, trying to nip us. Noam is huge — definitely the dominant male. Carrie is sweet and calm. Tom is a bit lazy but likes playing with Fufa a lot.
From left to right, Carrie, Fufa and Tom, taken Jan 2011
12 May: This week Carrie lost her two upper teeth and the new ones are starting to come out. Finally Fufa is starting to get the hang of being affectionate without using her claws, giving hugs and kisses to everyone. We spent two days looking for the bones after they ate. After looking everywhere, even in the trees, we finally found them in their water bowl! Tom has been very playful these last few days, climbing on trees and jumping on his brother and sisters. Noam is turning into a real male lion, and likes to be on the platform all day lounging in the sun.
Fufa checks out the camera (May 2011)
5 May: For the first time we walked them down and introduced them to the cages that will be used when they will be moved to the bottom part of the Reserve. They were a bit suspicious at first, but of course Fufa was the first one to go down and Carrie was the first one to go back home. Other than that they were very excited – but too scared to go in the cages yet. Tom is fast catching up to Noam in size. He loves his meat! The other day, Noam was so full after eating that he could barely move. He then became very playful and tried to make the other play with him while they were busy eating. The others weren’t having it and so he just rolled around in the mud by himself!
25 April: After a few weeks these cubs have managed to destroy all the steps we fixed for their birthday! So we are busy fixing them again. Noam likes to carry the tyre into the water trough and leaves it there. They had a fun afternoon stalking the monkeys as they were inside their enlosure. We still do handlings with them every day and they are great and extremely well-behaved. Fufa lost her baby front teeth and her adult teeth are growing. Carrie likes to sleep in the trees with the tyres, and Tom carried the last bone from their feed into the water trough and ate off it like a plate.
13 April: The Big 4 are now one-year-old. Noam is still the biggest of the 4 and it is very visible too. His head is very broad compared to the rest of the 4 and his paws are nearly the size of two fists next to each other. Tom has been very playful this week and has been looking for trouble with his brother and sisters whenever he sees the opportunity. Unfortunately they are not always in the same mood as he is and usually either give a big disapproving angry roar or give him a swift swot with the paw or a solid bite after which he would go and sulk for a while. Carrie is still the beauty queen of the group as she is always cleaning her nails and licking her fur clean or even cleaning one of the others. She has also developed a habit of lying on her back, lounging against a tree, which is quite a funny sight. Now last but not least Fufa has been really very friendly this week and has been looking for our attention by coming over to us and sitting on our laps and actually behaving herself really well and looking for love!
4 April: These four cubs are all doing excellently and are in perfect condition. Tom and Carrie are always ready for affection and Noam is just a little slower at getting up to say hello but he puts in a lot of sweet noises when we hug him. Baby Goat always catches their attention when she grazes around the cub kitchen. Handlings are going great with them and they are so well-behaved its amazing. Noam just rolls over onto his back for a good tummy scratch, Carrie is always cleaning her paws, Tom sleeps a lot on the platform and Fufa is always on the green shelter roof playing with the branches that hang down.
30 March: These big cubs will be 1 year old on the 5th of April so a big Happy Birthday to them! They are all very loving and perfect during handlings and impress all the tourists. They are still getting 2 legs every 3rd day but the meat seems to disappear quicker. Fufa has become friendlier in the past few days and gives hugs to everyone in the morning with the other 3 cubs and they make lots of sweet noises. By the afternoon they do love to start climbing the trees and chase each other around for some fun and games.
22 March: The big 4 are really living up to their name. Noam especially is huge and it is amazing to see him grow. His head seems to never stop expanding and his paws are enormous. Tom’s mane is big now and he looks as if he has a beard. So cute! Carrie is ever the sweetheart, handing out big hugs to us every morning when we walk through the gate. Fufa and the others love to talk to Baby Goat through the fence. Goat is very brave and walks all the way up to the fence letting the cubs stalk her, which they very much enjoy.
15 March: These famous 4 are now 11-months-old and looking great. All the tourists comment on how big they are but how friendly and sweet they are too during handlings. They are still getting 2 legs to share every 3 days for food, and they always know when its time to eat. Noam’s head is very broad and he has a big nose, while Tom’s head is still narrow and longer. Carrie and Fufa are very beautiful with gorgeous eyes/eyelashes, and people love that Carrie is a sweetie while Fufa has a naughty edge to her.
8 March: These cubs are doing very well and still going great in handlings. Fufa now has a ridge growing on her back, where the fur grows in the opposite direction and she is much darker than Carrie. Fufa still gets up to mischief every now and then, and her and Noam play quite a bit together. Tom has a swollen elbow full of liquid from knocking it too hard so we are watching that closely. Carrie is very sweet and loves to talk to everyone and gives lots of hugs, otherwise she will follow people for attention.
1 March: These big 4 will be 11 months old in a couple of days! Sunday was extremely busy and these guys were expertly behaved! We were so proud of them, all the cubs did great. The love to talk to the babies when we walk them past each other and they smell and lick each other through the fence. Noam and Carrie love attention from people the most, and Tom gets jealous and comes over. Fufa is much better than she was, but sometimes still hangs out alone. When they get their food they always run around and play with it for a while before any of them start eating.
23 February: These cubs are on 2 horse legs every 3 days. We installed a new water trough which is really big, so when the cubs play sometimes one of them falls in and splashes all the water out! They especially love when we bring the hose in to refill the water trough and they hiss at it and try to play with it! Noam’s fur is turning from grey to black in colour and he looks like a pot belly lion with his huge belly! Fufa loves the climb the trees and stalk people from above. When we walk baby goat past these guys they all run to the fence and stalk her like she is lunch!
16 February: These big cubs are all behaving extremely well and are very loving. They always make lots of noise when we come in to say hello and Noam is usually the one still giving hugs and love to everyone when the others settle down. Fufa is much more social now and becoming friendlier, while Carrie is still very sweet and curious. The boys manes are coming along nicely with Tom’s still the biggest.
7 February: These four big cubs are looking great and are 10-months-old now. They are so well-behaved during handlings — it’s so easy for us volunteers. They are still getting the leg every three days and all are looking bigger each day. Noam’s fur is getting darker and of course he is still the biggest. Carrie is ever the sweetheart and so loving, and Tom has a jealous streak that comes out when he isn’t receiving enough hugs. Fufa has her anti-social moments but she is still one of the favourites.
2 February: These cubs are now getting a horse leg every three days for them to share and all get their piece. Noam has a sore ear so we are giving him medicine twice a day to heal it. The volunteers have been fixing their enclosure so the cubs are digging up piles of dirt and subtly trying to steal rakes and shovels in plain sight. Carrie is the main culprit! They are excellent is handlings, and Tom’s mane is bigger than Noam’s.
25 January: Noam and Tom are growing so fast and picking up weight, so Carrie and Fufa are quite easy to tell apart size wise. Tom and Noam’s manes are looking very handsome and are forming a nice layer along their chest and shoulders. Fufa is becoming more social and not so distant and is learning to play nicely. She and Carrie are very good looking females and the boys are very affectionate.
18 January: All these cubs are looking great and healthy. Noam and Carrie are the most affectionate with us and always come to greet us when we come into the enclosure. Tom will then come over to see what the fuss is about, however Ofir will look at us and carry on with what she was doing. They are fantastic eaters, and will run up onto the platform when we bring the meat steaks in. They never swipe at the food or try to jump on the person carrying the meat. It’s quite hot these days so they are often found sleeping on the green shelter hut or on the cool sand.
11 January: The are getting bigger pieces of meat and are all feeding well. They are each around 70 – 80 kg and Noam is still the largest. Tom spends a lot of time away from the others and Fufa fights and ruffles the others up to keep them on their toes. Carrie seems to have more of the hunter instinct as she is always the first one to chase something, and when we throw the tyres around she is always the first one to reach it. They are becoming more teenage-like, sleeping more and eating more and play-fighting more.
3 January: These cubs are doing well and have been outstanding in all their handlings. Last week was extremely busy with the Christmas/Boxing Day crowds, and there were lots of handlings with them. They are still eating up on the platform but have become fussy over the past week with their food, so we changed the food to ribs as they weren’t finishing the meat steaks. All cubs are still very loving and vocal and love attention.
2010
DECEMBER
20th: These cubs are looking beautiful, and also growing bigger every day. Carrie is becoming fussy with her food (even though they are getting great meat every day) and it looks as though Noam is ending up with it as he has a huge belly after feeding! Tom and Noam are still very vocal and Carrie very loving, while Fufa remaining the anti-social one of the group. We are still doing handlings with these guys — people are so surprised at how well they interact with the volunteers and so everybody wants to meet them.
14th: All these babies are great. They are soon coming up to 9 months of age and they are all really good looking cubs. When it comes to feeding, Tom and Carrie are always first up to eat. Noam always waits until the end, and they are all very patient when it comes to waiting for us to hand the meat out. They can still often be found on the roof of the green shelter sleeping in a row in the shade to escape the hot days we’ve been having!
The cubs at 8 months old
Paw at just over 8 months old
7TH: Noam is eating like a real king of the jungle now, and he is getting bigger by the day, but he still acts like a real baby and cries for affection. Fufa is a bit in the wild side still she has got a strange but very cute way of showing her affection to the volunteers. But once you get to know her you understand and start to fall in love with her. Tom’s mane is coming though very nicely on his neck and shoulders, he is still the baby boy in the litter but has a very loving personality and loves to play with the volunteers. Carrie is the easiest to tell apart from her siblings, by her face and her size and the way she interacts with the volunteers. She is very fussy with her food always looks on the others on what they’re eating before she eats her own.
NOVEMBER
29TH: All cubs are doing very well and love attention. They are doing great in handlings and everyone falls in love with them. We have stopped walking them though because the girls would play around and refuse to come back inside even with a meat offering and they would not behave. They love to climb up onto the green shelter roof and sleep up there during the day. Noam is still the biggest, and Carrie the smallest. Fufa is slowly becoming more sociable, but she won’t run up to say ‘hi’ like the others when we go into their enclosure.
23RD: These big babies are doing so well, and are happy as always. Carrie is still the smallest but makes up for it in personality, and is definitely the most affectionate out of the girls. The cubs don’t climb the trees like the previous litter used to but maybe this will change with the summer months coming. They are still getting fed twice a day and are great at feeding time. The girls like to act up on their walk occasionally but all in all they are amazing.
15TH: Tom and Noam have been so affectionate of late. They are especially when they haven’t seen anyone for a little while. Then it’s hugs all round. They are always so happy to see us when we visit them and are very talkative. The four were very good on their walk this morning (as they have all week) although Noam always comes in last. This morning, Fufa was being a little stubborn and didn’t want to come back into the enclosure, despite a meat offering!
8TH: All cubs are doing so well and look beautiful. Noam and Tom’s manes are peeping through and the boys are very friendly, and Fufa is much more social with us but not in handlings, she tends to ignore people. Tom now has a scar on his nose from playing around. Cubs weigh around 35 to 40 kilos now, with Noam still being the biggest. Noam is also getting dark with a lot of black fur on his coat.
2nd: Cubs are still walking really well, and proved this on Monday when we took them on their daily walk. A Bushbuck was trapped inside the loop and the cubs saw it but listened to us telling them to keep walking. We were so proud! Noam is still the biggest, and we can see his mane beginning to grow on his neck and chest. Tom and Carrie are still very lovable and give lots of hugs, and Fufa (Ofir) is getting more sociable too.
25 OCTOBER: Cubs are still walking really well and are not being distracted or wandering off anymore, while still doing 2 laps every day. Tom, Noam and Carrie are very affectionate, but Ofir (Fufa) is still a bit wary of people and a little anti-social, with occasionally jumping on people. Cubs are still getting fed twice a day and are excellent at feeding time. We have had quite a few handlings with them this past week and are behaving very nicely. The cubs will be 7 months old in 9 days (on 5 November).
18 OCTOBER: The cubs have been doing very well and have been walking like good boys and girls. They haven’t run to the hill surprisingly which has made the walks go much smoother. All of them are being very sweet with hugs but Ofir is still a little meanie. Yesterday Tom and Ofir were being very picky with their meat and didn’t eat, but we are pleased to say they ate very well early this morning.
6 SEPTEMBER: Tom, Noam, Ofir and Carrie are doing great. They are very well-behaved and so we can actually take in children with them, as long as they are supervised by a parent or one of us. They are walked twice a day, 4 laps at a time but a few days ago, they discovered the hill and started climbing up it. So we are trying to get them back on track at the moment. Yesterday they got a special treat, as part of our new enrichment programme. They each got a leather hide chew roll and they were so excited to get them. Noam especially liked his and sat on the bench eating it for a while. They raced after one another with the toys in their mouth and it was really sweet to watch. It was raining today and they got very wet and dirty!
29TH AUGUST: The cubs get fed a rib each after morning walk and then again after evening walk. They are very good babies, very well behaved and very loving! Apparently Fufa doesn’t like guys, Carrie and Noam are the loving ones whilst Tom and Ofir (Fufa) are the whiny spoilt ones. They are still very light in color but beautiful lions!
APRIL: Four lions were born over the Easter weekend in 2010: two girls (Carrie and Ofir) and two boys (Noam and Tom).
