Photo by Mary Streng/Living Desert Zia, a 5-month-old female mountain lion, is one of the newest residents at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State
Photo by Mary Streng/Living Desert Zia, a 5-month-old female mountain lion, is one of the newest residents at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park. 
CARLSBAD >> There's been a small population boom at the Living Desert Zoo, and the newcomers have moved in with Mounti the mountain lion.
General curator Holly Payne announced the acquisition of two new mountain lions: Zuzax, a 7-month-old male, and Zia, a 5-month-old female.
"We learned about these two from the mountain lion population management person at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums," she said Saturday.
The AZA is the organization that accredits zoos and aquariums that meet rigorous standards. The Living Desert was first accredited in 2002, and its re-accredited status runs through 2017.
The lion management staff knew that Payne was looking for a mountain lion, so when Zuzax and Zia turned up, the Living Desert was the first facility offered the pair.
Photo by Mary Streng/Living Desert Zia, a 5-month-old female mountain lion, is one of the newest residents at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State
Photo by Mary Streng/Living Desert Zia, a 5-month-old female mountain lion, is one of the newest residents at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park. 
Payne and the Living Desert staff have spent the last couple of weeks slowly bringing the three lions together, and their patience seems to have done the job.
Saturday found Mounti, the zoo's 14-year-old female, sleeping peacefully in the sun, while Zuzax watched everything from a niche high on the side of a rocky cliff.
Zia was not evident at that moment, but Payne provided the Current-Argus with photos of Zia taken by her keepers.
"It's been a very slow process," Payne said. "We have watched each cat's behaviors to make sure there are no problems."
Zuzax was an orphan under the care of the California Department of Game and Fish. In an area of mountain lion territory, he was found wandering around in a back yard. He was in very poor condition, which made game wardens believe his mother had been killed.
The department kept him in a temporary facility until the Living Desert got its import permit.
Zia also was believed to be an orphan when the Game and Fish Department of Washington state learned about her. A hunter had picked her up and kept her illegally for about six weeks before turning her over to Game and Fish.
Now Zia is a healthy 30-pounder with a nice thick coat, and Zuzax probably weighs around 40 pounds, Payne estimated.
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park is on the northwest side of Carlsbad, at 1504 Miehls Drive.