Detroit Zoo is celebrating its first lion born in 40 years

ROYAL EIK, Mich. – The Detroit Zoo announced Tuesday that the first lion to be born at the zoo in 40 years arrived on September 10, 2020.

The lion is called Binti, which means ‘daughter’ in Swahili, said the Detroit Zoological Society (DZS). She is the first lion to be born at the Detroit Zoo since 1980. Her mother, the 4-year-old lioness Asha, underwent a Caesarean section after it was observed that she gave birth naturally but was unable to give birth afterwards. Sadly, three other cubs were stillborn, zoo officials said.

“She’s grown so much, has a lot of energy and is very curious and playful,” said Elizabeth Arbaugh, DZS mammal curator. She learns to live with other lions, starting with her aunt, Amirah. We expect that she will eventually live with her entire family as a member of the Detroit Zoo pride. “

Here’s the backstory on Binti’s family, according to the Detroit Zoo:

Asha and her sister, Amirah, came to Detroit Zoo from Buffalo Zoo in May 2019 as part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Program (SSP). SSPs are cooperative breeding programs to ensure genetically healthy, diverse and self-sustaining populations of endangered and endangered species in AZA recognized zoos.

Binti’s father, Simba, once lived with the royal family of Qatar and found refuge at the Detroit Zoo in 2013 when his owners voluntarily relinquished him. Private ownership of lions, tigers and other big cats is extremely dangerous to humans and often endangers the welfare of the animals. The DZS helped develop and promote the recently introduced federal Big Cat Public Safety Act, which is a major effort to curb the problem in the US.

The Detroit Zoo’s smallest big cat was under constant care of the DZS staff for the first weeks of her life, when she lived in an incubator and was bottle-fed daily from 6 a.m. to midnight. To prepare Binti for life with her future pride, the recorded sounds and smells of the adult lions were introduced into her incubator. As she got stronger, she graduated to a bigger box and switched from milk to solid food. Eventually, Binti began to spend time in the inner area of ​​the lion habitat near the adult lions. The gradual process of becoming acquainted with her family continues with visual – not physical – interactions; the lions could see, hear and smell each other, but they did not share the same space.

Asha’s life-saving surgery and recovery meant the normal bonding process could not take place. Socialization, especially with other female lions, is critical to Binti’s social development; Fortunately, the cub has developed a strong bond with her aunt, Amirah. Lions are the only big cats that live in social groups, which include adult males, multiple females, and their offspring.

The Detroit Zoo says its lion habitat offers grassy terrain, a shallow pool, raised ledges that give lions high vantage points for guests to view, and a 5-foot acrylic wall for close-up views of lions by guests. Warming rocks at the front of the habitat provide lovely resting places for the lions in cooler weather.

Lions are normally seen outside unless the temperatures are below freezing, zoo officials said. Binti has the option of entering the lion habitat on cold days, so she may not be visible to guests when the temperature is below 40 degrees, zoo officials said.

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