August 12, 2009

SIX FLAGS WILD SAFARI WELCOMES SECOND SET
OF LION CUBS AND LAUNCHES NAMING CONTEST

Safari also welcomes four more endangered and extinct in the wild animal births

Six Flags Wild Safari celebrates the birth of a second set of African lion cubs,
an addax calf; and three scimitar-horned oryx calves to the park's population.
In the wild during the last three decades, the lion, addax and scimitar-horned oryx populations have declined drastically due to habitat destruction, lack of prey, human expansion and hunting. These births play a vital role in helping their species' conservation and will bring awareness to their plight in the wild.

After 20 years without African lion births in the Wild Safari, the park now has four cubs. Twins Bakari and Zahra, welcomed January 27, 2009, were joined by two more siblings this summer. The park encourages guests to help name the new lion cubs at sixflags.com/greatadventure. Guests will choose from the following traditional African names and meaning:

• Female cub - Shujaa “warrior,” Neema “born in prosperity”
  or Mandisa “sweetness.”
  
  
• Male cub - Taj “exalted,” Addae “morning sun” or Kali “strong.”

Safari visitors can see the cubs playing at the Exploration Station. Once the twins can care for themselves, they will be re-introduced into the lion pride and will join their siblings in the African Section of the Wild Safari.

Addax and Scimitar-horned Oryx births

Found in north-western Africa, the addax population is continually decreasing and is listed as critically endangered with less than 300 in the wild. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) predicts that the addax population will be extinct in the wild within the near future. The new male addax birth brings the Six Flags Wild Safari herd to 13.

Now extinct in the wild, scimitar-horned oryx once lived in the northern African countries of Egypt, Senegal and Chad. Both males and females have curved horns that grow to be several feet long. Their coats are mostly white with reddish brown necks and black markings on the forehead down the length of the nose. The Wild Safari is proud to introduce a male and two female healthy oryx calves to the previous herd of 11.

The Six Flags Wild Safari is dedicated to providing a one-of-a-kind safari experience where guests can get up close to rare and exotic animals from around the globe allowing them to understand why it is important for humans and wildlife to have sustainable environmental interactions.

Park guests can see the newborn additions and more than 1,200 other
Wild Safari residents daily through Sept. 7 and weekends through Nov. 1.
The Wild Safari is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. any theme park operating day except Fridays during Fright Fest. For more information or to vote for their favorite lion cub names, guests can visit sixflags.com/greatadventure.

About Six Flags:
Six Flags, Inc. is a publicly-traded corporation headquartered in New York City and is the world's largest regional theme park company with 20 parks across the United States, Mexico and Canada.