African Lions Play at Zoos SA for World Lion Day

Zoos South Australia (Zoos SA) have treated their two prides of African lions housed across Monarto Safari Park and Adelaide Zoo to celebrate World Lion Day.

At Adelaide Zoo resident pair Mujambi and Amani tore in to boxes prepared by the BEEZA (Behavioural Environmental Enrichment for Zoo Animals) volunteer group. At Monarto Safari Park the twelve strong pride were treated to hidden meat among some enrichment balls.

While the enrichment items may be fun for both visitors and the lions it also serves an important role in enhancing the life of these animals while they are in human care. Monarto Safari Park Carnivore Keeper Christy Tonkin explained, “We make every day different in some way to keep the lions’ stimulated. The paper mache ball enrichment they enjoyed today encourages them to play and use their natural hunting skills.''

“Scent enrichment is also a hit with our lions and we’ll often use poo and branches taken from the giraffe and rhino habitats to give them new interesting scents.

“Caring for the lions is very special, but I really love watching how the pride interact with each other and how they resolve altercations amongst the group.”

Monarto Safari Park is home to one of the largest lion prides in Australia and it is set to grow in the near future. Females Makena and Husani are both pregnant with first time mother Makena due any day now.

Christy added, “Husani is a seasoned mum and this will be her third pregnancy, with four cubs in her first litter and five in her second, we’re excited to see how many cubs she gives birth to this month.''

“Makena and Husani are spending a lot of time together and it’s nice to see them bonding over the pregnancies,” finished Christy.

Unfortunately the African lion is listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Less than 20,000 individuals remain on the African savanna with the species heading towards extinction in 2050 if conservation efforts are not implemented.

Zoos SA providing funding to the Zambian Carnivore Program to support their work in conservation research, habitat restoration and education.