Haji, a lion with a mohawk, now on exhibit at NC Zoo. Officials hope he’ll find a mate.
The N.C. Zoo’s pride is showing, finally: Haji, the new lion that arrived at the park in December, has joined the rotation in the exhibit where visitors can see him.
Haji is a 3-year-old, 400-pound lion brought to the zoo in Asheboro from the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. The plan is for him to serve as a companion to Mekita, 13, who has been alone in the exhibit since her last mate, Reilly, died last August.
Reilly was 23 and had lived at the N.C. Zoo since he was 2.
A slow introduction
Since Haji arrived in December, keepers have been slowly introducing him and Mekita. The pairing was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Lion Species Survival Plan, which oversees mating efforts of captive animals at member zoos in order to preserve gene pools.
In a release issued Thursday, the park said Haji and Mekita are now on a rotating schedule that will allow visitors to see them — still separately — in the African Lion Habitat, part of the Africa section of the zoo that’s about 70 miles west of Raleigh. With his distinctive “mohawk” style, Haji should be easy to pick out in the habitat, the park says.
Once the two are accustomed to one another, they will be in the habitat together.
“We’re excited our guests now get to see Haji more often,” said Jennifer Ireland, the zoo’s Curator of Mammals, said in the release. “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.
“We are seeing some positive signs in their introductions, such as vocalizations to each other,” Ireland said.
Sleeping 20 hours a day
Big cats such as lions are social animals that usually live in groups, or prides, in the wild with a dominant male, several females and their litters.
Even on their native African savannas and grasslands, experts say, lions may sleep up to 20 hours per day, and visitors to the N.C. Zoo often comment on how relaxed the animals look in their habitat.
In the wild, they usually live 10 to 15 years. In zoos they typically live about two years longer.
African lions are classified as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The zoo says estimates of their numbers range from 23,000 to 39,000, with habitat loss and poaching the biggest threat to wild populations.
The N.C. Zoo is part of a program that uses smart phones to record information about animals, illegal activities and conservation efforts in seven African countries to help protect lions, as well as black rhinos, Cross River gorillas, elephants and other species.
This story was originally published February 23, 2023 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Haji, a lion with a mohawk, now on exhibit at NC Zoo. Officials hope he’ll find a mate.."
