A playful 9-month-old African lion cub ate from his trainer’s hand, and rolled around joyfully in his new home as he was introduced to the public at the Moorpark College zoo on Sept. 2. The young cub can now be viewed by the public by visiting America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College.

The cub will join the 200-animal roster at the MC Zoo. The zoo, which is run by the 100 E.A.T.M. students and staff, will use the 140-pound lion to teach students the different characteristics of lions and the role that gender plays on their behavior.

The lion cub was donated to MC by the Lion Habitat Ranch in Henderson, Nev., a facility whose mission is superior animal care, and education to promote awareness of lions.

“The Lion Habitat Ranch knew that MC was looking to house a lion and helped find our perfect match,” said Instructional Technician Mara Rodriguez.

General care of the cub will be provided by Instructor and Department Chair Dr. Cynthia Stringfield and Rodriguez.

Students enrolled in the E.A.T.M. program are assigned an animal to take care of throughout the semester. First-year students aren’t assigned animals to tend to until further into the program.

“He’s adorable,” said first-year E.A.T.M student Lisa Bertin, who graduated from North Arizona University with a Bachelor’s in Biology. “I hope I get the opportunity to be assigned the new cub.”

This is not the first lion to inhabit the zoo. The first African male lion was named Chad, explained Exotic Animal Training and Management Department Chair Brenda Woodhouse. Chad was brought to Moorpark College Zoo in 1973, and is the lion in the logo for the zoo.

The cub will be officially named after a contest at an Oct. 9 E.A.T.M. fundraiser. During the fundraiser, every visitor will have an opportunity at the silent auction to pick a name they think is suitable for the new cub. The decision on the name will be decided in early November.

For more information on the cub and other animals, go to http://www.moorparkcollege.edu/current-students/teaching-zoo.

Correction: An earlier version of this story included an incorrect assertion about the reason that the specific lion cub was selected as a gift to Moorpark College’s E.A.T.M. program. In fact, Lion Habitat Ranch representatives never said or implied that they thought the lion cub would be happier at the college than at the ranch. The Student Voice apologizes for any misconceptions and regrets the error.