JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A lion cub at the Jacksonville Zoo is going through an experiment to see if it's ready for public viewing.
A Channel 4 crew was invited Friday to follow the cub around and see how it's coping in what will be its next home.
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IMAGES: Lion cub introduced to exhibit
The 2½-month-old lion club is used to playing inside, but now she's getting a chance to see her new territory.
Friday was the sixth time the cub has been introduced to the exhibit where its parents and other lions play. Right now it's too young to be thrown in with them, so zookeepers are slowly introducing it alone.
"She's cautious because it's a big new experience for her," said Dan Maloney, of the Jacksonville Zoo.
So what's the holdup in reuniting the cub with its parents?
"Being in the same physical space, we just have to make sure that this cub is big enough to kind of hold her own when they start playing," Maloney said.
The cub is a big deal to Jacksonville because it's the first lion cub in nearly 40 years at the Jacksonville Zoo.
A date has not yet been set for when the cub will make its public debut, but anyone who goes to the zoo you can watch the cub on a monitor for the time being.