North Carolina Zoo Has A New Lion
The North Carolina Zoo announced Thursday that its new male lion has arrived. His name is Haji.
CBS17 says, Haji is three years old and weighs 400 pounds. He came from the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans as a companion for N.C. Zoo’s female lion, 13-year-old Mekita.
Mekita’s last mate 23-year-old Reilly died in August. That left her as the zoo’s only lion. Reilly lived at the Zoo for 21 years, spending most of his time as Mekita’s mate.
Haji was brought to the zoo mainly as a companion for Mekita because lions are big cats that live in social groups called prides.
Haji arrived in December, but guests could only catch a glimpse of him in the past several weeks.
“During that time, Haji and Mekita have been going through introductions in their indoor quarters. The zoo said, “introducing lions to new companions and habitats can be a lengthy process.”
Haji and Mekita are now on a rotating schedule where guests can see them on habitat. Guests should be able to spot Haji by his growing mane. His mane will continue to grow and darken as he ages.
Jennifer Ireland, the zoo’s curator of mammals said, “We’re excited our guests now get to see Haji more often. We’re giving Haji more time to explore his new habitat to help establish his territory. It takes a lot of time and patience to work with big cats. Right now, they can see and smell each other.”
