Four of the five lion cubs smuggled into Israel a few months ago will be named after heroes of October 7 and Operation Swords of Iron: Bibas, Ori, Arnon, Yahalom and Anda. The cubs are currently housed at the Hai Park in Kiryat Motzkin, which received about 2,800 name suggestions from the public.
Lion cubs at Hai Park in Kiryat Motzkin
(Video: Hai Park, Kiryat Motzkin)
The lion cubs were smuggled into Israel along with dozens of green macaques and were rescued during a raid while being held in harsh conditions. According to police, they were transferred from Egypt or Jordan using drones. The zoo asked the public to help find names for them, and many suggested naming them after fallen and murdered individuals from the war.
“If it weren’t for the strike in Iran, we would have exceeded 3,000 suggestions,” said Ashraf Kenaan, the director of Hai Park. During Operation Rising Lion, the cubs were moved to a new, larger exhibit called Rising Lion.
“We finished building the exhibit when missiles fell. On the day a rocket fell on Haifa, we brought all the lions inside, since the walls in their night room are made of concrete and act like a shelter. We are in an unusual environment and anything can change in the region, so we’re always preparing ourselves,” he told Ynet.
One frequently submitted proposal was to name the cubs after members of the Bibas family — Kfir, Ariel, and Shiri — who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz and murdered by their captors.
“The committee decided to name the smallest cub Bibas. At first, she didn’t get along well with the others, but over time she did, and they even started looking out for her. If they left the play area and she lagged behind, they’d return to the night room to get her,” the park director recounted.
Arnon is named after Lieutenant Colonel Arnon Zamora, who fell during the rescue of hostages Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov and Shlomi Ziv in an operation that now bears his name. “Arnon is the largest cub among them, and truly a hero,” Ashraf explained.
The cub named Yahalom was already given her name by Nature and Parks Authority inspector Amram Tzabari, who named her after his friend Ohad Yahalomi, director of the Green Patrol Unit at the Authority, who was kidnapped from his home in Nir Oz and murdered in Hamas captivity.
The cub was found in the Negev, and Tzabari brought her to the park himself. To give the name a Hebrew feel, “Diamond” became “Yahalom.”
Another cub was named Anda, a name meaning “charm” or “life.” The name symbolizes a new chance at life and joy. “She always wants attention,” Kenaan explains. “She’s the last one that arrived, and whenever the keepers approach, she immediately comes to the fence, always in a good mood and ready to play. You can easily identify her by her big, black eyes.”
Finally, the cub Ori is named after Staff Sergeant Ori Gerbi, a soldier in the Givati Brigade from Herzliya, who fell in January 2024 during combat in Gaza. Upon his death, his organs saved a six-month-old boy and a six-year-old girl. His mother, Naomi, requested that the committee and the zoo name one of the cubs after her son.
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“His nickname was ‘Gur’ or ‘Guri’ (meaning cub),” Naomi shared. “When he grew up, he said, ‘I’m not a cub—I’m a lion.’ His friends called him that too. Before going to sleep he’d say, ‘Even lions need rest,’ and that was his good night. I saw the article in Yedioth Ahronoth about the cub named after Yahalomi, and as soon as I read it I felt that one of the cubs must be named after my son. Ori cared a lot about animals and loved them.”
Dana, Ori’s aunt, added, “A lion is the king of beasts, the leader of the pride, strong and charismatic. That describes Ori. He showed leadership from a young age, rallying his friends.”
Naomi said that Ori “was hit by an RPG and suffered a brainstem injury. When they contacted me and told me they’d named a cub Ori, it gave hope and comfort. I’m sure a child or girl who comes to the zoo with their family will want to see the lions first. I think he would have been very happy with this honor. We used to visit the zoo when he was a child, and Ashraf told me a lion lives 18 years. I thought maybe this cub will live 20 years, like Ori.”
Four lion cubs play toigether
(Video: Hai Park, Kiryat Motzkin)
The Nature and Parks Authority emphasized the importance of the public choosing the names. “One must understand what happens to smuggled animals, some of them in such poor condition that they cannot continue to live or return to the wild,” explained Ori Leniel, Counter-Illegal Wildlife Trafficking Coordinator for the Authority. “The lion cubs seized after illegal smuggling and possession in Israel were separated from their parents at a young age, kept in harmful conditions and therefore, unfortunately, cannot be returned to the wild.”
Leniel continued: “Illegal wildlife trafficking, in addition to being a serious crime and with associated negative consequences, causes severe harm to the animals. The cubs are now placed in the Hai Park in Kiryat Motzkin and receive dedicated, professional care, while the Authority supervises their acclimatization process. In recent years we’ve seen the public helping us protect wildlife, showing alertness, and reporting animals held illegally or in distress. I hope visiting the zoo will educate about the impact of illegal wildlife trade on animals and how public assistance helps reduce harm to them.”