Surprise! It’s a boy and a girl! Baby fever hit Essex County, New Jersey’s Turtle Back Zoo in late November when Makena, the zoo’s three-year-old lioness, gave birth to two healthy — and absolutely adorable — cubs. The organization exclusively revealed the pair's sexes to TODAY on Jan. 8 after a year-long effort to welcome the first lion cubs born at the zoo in its over 60-year history.
This week, TODAY viewers took to the polls to name these cute little cubs. The winners?
- Male cub: Kito in Swahili, or Precious Jewel in English
- Female cub: Anga in Swahili, or Sky in English
Sky just happens to be Al Roker's granddaughter's name — and they're both big fans of the zoo!
To learn more about the cubs and their journey, follow the Turtle Back Zoo on Instagram.
CORRECTION (Jan. 9, 2026, 11:24 a.m.): An earlier version of this article misstated the male cub's name. It is Kito, not Viazi.
