CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo is welcoming two new female lions.
In a news release Wednesday, zoo officials said the lions are sisters named Zalika (za-leek-ah) and Kamali (kah-mal-ee). Both lions are 1 ½ years old and weigh about 160 pounds. They came to Chicago from Oregon Zoo in Portland.
They join Lincoln Park Zoo’s 5-year-old male lion, Sahar.
Mark Kamhout is curator of mammals. He says the lions have been introduced to the zoo’s lion house via scent and visually over the past couple weeks.
Lion populations have been declining throughout Africa. Lincoln Park Zoo works through the Serengeti Health Initiative to help conserve the species through a vaccination program in Tanzania.
Kamhout says the new lions will serve as “ambassadors” for conservation work with native lion habitats in Africa.
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