Workers completed construction Saturday on safety enhancements to the exhibit, raising grotto walls and surrounding the exhibit with glass barriers.
For added containment, the zoo installed electric shock-emitting wire along the interior of the moat wall to keep the cats from escaping, a common practice at zoos, according to Garcia.
The big cats were allowed back into the grotto for half the day Sunday and have been there daily since Monday, Garcia said. The cats have shown normal behavior during their reintroduction to the exhibit, he said.
The lions today were "resting comfortably on a heated rock without a care in the world," Garcia said.
The big cats will be on display starting Thursday during normal zoo hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
