Meet Our Animals

© Mark Kostich

Lion

Lion (Panthera leo)
Range: Africa
Status: Listed as Vulnerable on the Endangered Species Red List

Lions occur in scattered areas across Africa, and there is a tiny population in a sanctuary in India. They used to occur across regions of the Middle East and the Mediterranean but have been hunted out of these areas by man. Fortunately, eco-tourism is helping these big cats. Because they tend to live in prides and prefer more open habitat they are one of the easiest big cats to observe, and the tourists love them for it. This has led to some protection for them.

Like tigers, lions occur in several different subspecies, and (also like tigers) several of these subspecies have been hunted to extinction. One of the more recent extinctions occurred with a small group along the Skeleton Coast in Namibia. Lions there had adapted to living on the beach, hunting seals, and scavenging fish. Unfortunately, nearby villagers shot all but one in an attempt to protect their livestock, ending this unique culture.

Recent DNA studies have shown that lions encountered a “genetic bottleneck” several thousand years ago. This was recent enough that lions have not had the opportunity to really break into clear subspecies again, meaning they are not broken into distinct groups by location like the tigers have been. Animals from different regions do demonstrate distinctive physical and behavioral traits. For example, lions living in a colder climate tend to have larger and thicker manes.

Like tigers, lions have been known to hunt and kill humans. Wild primates, such as chimpanzees, are a natural part of their diet. It is believed that lions learn to attack humans mostly when the lions are in a weakened state or when wild game is scarce. They are not afraid to enter human habitation, be it houses or tents, when they are driven to this extreme.

Mufasa Lion

Mufasa is the great old gentleman of the Center’s lion prides. He arrived at the Center in 2004, along with 13 other cats (see the Ohio Seizure story below). He is gentle and loving to his three female companions, Sadie, Kiara, and Ugmo. Though he is elderly, he is also active and interested in the world around him. He enjoys visitors and likes people to talk to him and admire his beautiful mane.

Mufasa is the father of eight of the young lions at the Center. He is quite unhappy that four of them live with tigers, and he often expresses his disapproval of the arrangement to the young tigers. These bouts of grumbling, roaring, and huffing at the tigers seem to help keep him young.

It is truly a pleasure and an honor to be able to give a home to a magnificent animal like this, who blossoms, given the opportunity, and who so clearly relishes life.

Ohio Seizure:

The cats seized from Ohio in 2004 were: Spike, Buffy (his sister), Bella, and Shelby tigers; Sam’s group of four lions; Mufasa’s pride of four; and Samantha’s group of three tigers, including her beloved companion, Tabitha.

These large cats were living in breeding groups in a facility in Ohio. The cubs they produced were sold. Each group lived in a roughly square space about 20 feet on a side, without adequate shelter from the Ohio winter cold and summer sun.

The owner there had a history of accidents (including a human death), poor sanitation, neglecting to provide veterinary care, and keeping animals that were incompatible in the same small spaces. Though he was USDA licensed and had been in this location for more than 20 years, his county wanted him gone. Perhaps the health code violations were enough, or perhaps county officials were moved to action by the new developments under construction near this property. The health department ruled his facility was being managed in violation of their codes. The county began legal action and the facility received a court order to remove the animals. They did so, though not on the timeline given. They then brought them back, plus additional animals.

The USDA was asked to help place the animals after the scheduled seizure. Several facilities agreed to each take in some animals. The Center agreed to take in one group that could live in one cage. Then another sanctuary asked if we would hold the remaining cats in quarantine for them while they relocated. They agreed to pay for the quarantine cages, which the Center paid for upfront and built. When that sanctuary owner became gravely ill, the Center had to absorb the cost of the fencing and was committed to keeping the 14 cats from the seizure and their offspring.

The quarantine caging was designed to be able to hold almost any kind of carnivore, so it is not built with a space-efficient use of materials. It is, however, considerably larger than what these groups of cats were used to.

At the Ohio seizure, a vet was available to vasectomize the males, but the lawyer for the facility would not allow the procedure, since appeals were still pending. These animals are of no value to a breeder unless they are intact reproductively. The veterinarian at the Center performed the surgeries as quickly as possible, but four females arrived pregnant or managed to breed in the interim, and in the end they produced a total of 15 cubs.

One female tiger arrived so gravely ill that we had to euthanize her within a couple of days of her arrival. The Ohio facility had been cited for failure to get her vet care almost a year before this. Tabitha had been Samantha’s long-time companion.

This sudden and unexpected influx of cats was a financial blow to the Center and we are still working tirelessly to raise the money necessary to construct larger cages for the Ohio Seizure cats. Despite these hardships, we could not have asked for a more incredible group of cats. Their numerous offspring have brought us tremendous joy. The cats have all now adjusted well to their new homes and are reveling in the attention they get at the Center.

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