ST. LOUIS – The lions are back at the Saint Louis Zoo! After more than a year without lions, one African lion will debut to the public Tuesday, with another set to arrive soon.
Araali, a 6-year-old female, arrived from the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance on Sept. 2. Zoo-goers can now see her in the zoo’s Big Cat Country exhibit. Bantu, a 12-year-old male, will soon arrive courtesy of Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City, Kansas.
Because lions are a social species, the zoo is pairing Bantu and Araali but does not have any plans for them to breed at the moment. Bantu will be introduced to Araali over a period of weeks via a protective barrier, allowing the lions to see, hear, and smell one another. The introductions may be hastened or slowed depending on how the animals respond…