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[[underline]] National Zoological Park [[/underline]]

The first portion of the new William M. Mann Lion and Tiger Exhibit, named in honor of the former director, was opened to the public on April 9, 1976, with three white tiger cubs, a male named Ranjit and females Priya and Bharat, exploring the water moat and terraces of their new enclosure. These three were born in Cincinnati to the National Zoo's Kesari and Ramana. Mohini, who has been boarding at the Brookfield Zoo, is now back and becoming acclimated to her new quarters and will soon be on view. Rewati remains in Cincinnati until after her possible pregnancy. The remainder of the new exhibit will be open in May 1976.

The Lion-Tiger Exhibit design by architects Faulkner, Fryer and Vanderpool received an award at the Second Biennial Design Awards Program held by the General Services Administration in 1975. By the time plans were complete and construction started in July 1974, the old 1891 Lion House had been razed. The new facility was conceived as a complex of three theaters which would be seen as water-moated islands in a curvilinear structure shaped to fit the natural topography of the hilltop site. No attempt was made to reproduce synthetically the native habitat of either lions or tigers. The building has 33,500 square feet of space, including an audio-visual room, multipurpose room, kitchen and 11 offices. There are two interior exhibit cages of 540 sq. ft. each for exhibiting females and young. Each of the three interior animal containment wings has five regular dens plus several cubbing dens. The total cost of the exhibit is nearly $3,000,000. The design had intended that each of the terrace walls be made of stone