Australasian African Lion Population

[Zoofan15]

Birth Announcement - Werribee Open Range Zoo

A surprise announcement that Asali has given birth to a single cub. This follows reports Nilo’s adolescent offspring were being housed separately from the pride.

This is the first African lion birth reported for 2025.

Reported in the news thread by @WhistlingKite24.

Further details:

The lion cub was born March 23:

Werribee welcomes lion cub.

The zoo announcing the cub was born on March 23 to mother Asali and father Sheru, the first single cub litter in the zoo’s 41 year history.

The zoo says the cub’s first health check to determine its sex and will be named in the coming weeks.

 

[Zoofan15]

Birth Announcement- Taronga Western Plains Zoo

The second birth announcement in one day!

1.2 cubs have been born to Lwazi and Marion, their third litter together:

Lion cubs get pride of place as zoos announce arrivals

1.0 Lwazi (12/08/2017) Johari x Nilo
0.1 Marion (22/06/2014) Imported 2018 (United States)
0.1 Amali (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Imani (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Mara (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Bahati (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Jabari (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Zawadi (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion

 

[Zoofan15]

Birth Announcement- Taronga Western Plains Zoo

The second birth announcement in one day!

1.2 cubs have been born to Lwazi and Marion, their third litter together:

Lion cubs get pride of place as zoos announce arrivals

1.0 Lwazi (12/08/2017) Johari x Nilo
0.1 Marion (22/06/2014) Imported 2018 (United States)
0.1 Amali (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Imani (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Mara (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Bahati (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Jabari (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Zawadi (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion

The Future of Taronga Western Plains Zoo’s Pride (Disucssion)

If the new cubs are integrated with their father and all six siblings, Dubbo will hold the largest integrated pride in Australia.

While the birth of these cubs would be the ideal opportunity to transfer Bahati and Jabari (18 month old males) out the pride, this would leave the new male cub without brothers to transfer out with when he reaches dispersal age. If they’re able to integrate the two adolescent males with the cubs (and Lwazi can tolerate them for another 12 months), then the three of them could then transition out together:

1.0 Bahati (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Jabari (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion

Bearing in mind, Marion is currently approaching her 11th birthday, another possibility is a pair or trio of new males could be brought in (with Lwazi and his three sons transitioning out a year from now):

1.0 Lwazi (12/08/2017) Johari x Nilo
1.0 Bahati (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Jabari (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion

Marion should still be cycling in the next 2-3 years, so this could facilitate the establishment of a multigenerational pride - with a couple of Marion’s daughters then breeding.

0.1 Marion (22/06/2014) Imported 2018 (United States)
0.1 Amali (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Imani (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Mara (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Zawadi (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion

Dubbo have a second lion exhibit (used to house the elderly trio of lionesses until their death), so could easily manage two prides (one breeding; one non-breeding).

 

[Nile Hippo Expert]

Further details:

The lion cub was born March 23:

Werribee welcomes lion cub.

The zoo announcing the cub was born on March 23 to mother Asali and father Sheru, the first single cub litter in the zoo’s 41 year history.

The zoo says the cub’s first health check to determine its sex and will be named in the coming weeks.

Birth Announcement- Taronga Western Plains Zoo

The second birth announcement in one day!

1.2 cubs have been born to Lwazi and Marion, their third litter together:

Lion cubs get pride of place as zoos announce arrivals

1.0 Lwazi (12/08/2017) Johari x Nilo
0.1 Marion (22/06/2014) Imported 2018 (United States)
0.1 Amali (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Imani (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Mara (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Bahati (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Jabari (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Zawadi (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion

This is absolutely insane news for the population! Never would have expected to see two births in a day but okay, that's double amazing!

 

[Zoofan15]

This is absolutely insane news for the population! Never would have expected to see two births in a day but okay, that's double amazing!

To be fair, the births were February 21 (Dubbo) and March 23 (Werribee); but two announcements on the same day is nonetheless a rare event outside of World Lion Day (in August), which is otherwise a popular time for announcements to be made.

The last lion births in the region that occured on the same day was on 02/07/2014.

 

[Jambo]

Birth Announcement- Taronga Western Plains Zoo

The second birth announcement in one day!

1.2 cubs have been born to Lwazi and Marion, their third litter together:

Lion cubs get pride of place as zoos announce arrivals

1.0 Lwazi (12/08/2017) Johari x Nilo
0.1 Marion (22/06/2014) Imported 2018 (United States)
0.1 Amali (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Imani (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Mara (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Bahati (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Jabari (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Zawadi (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion

Very exciting to see such a large pride being grown from a single pair! Lwazi and Marion now have three consecutive litters of three cubs all born with natural intervals.

The new facilities have ultimately allowed Dubbo to achieve this - I know it was a goal of Dubbo's to create a large pride as would be seen in the wild with their main exhibit which if five acres large.

Considering Marion's age I do think this will end up being her final litter. Separating Lwazi and his sons (or transferring them to another facility) would make the most sense.

Taronga also have a few decent sized off display exhibits that can be utilised to house a few smaller groups of Lions. The whole setup is designed so Dubbo can essentially breed in large numbers (and be able to accommodate any surplus cubs born).

 

[Zoofan15]

Very exciting to see such a large pride being grown from a single pair! Lwazi and Marion now have three consecutive litters of three cubs all born with natural intervals.

The new facilities have ultimately allowed Dubbo to achieve this - I know it was a goal of Dubbo's to create a large pride as would be seen in the wild with their main exhibit which if five acres large.

Considering Marion's age I do think this will end up being her final litter. Separating Lwazi and his sons (or transferring them to another facility) would make the most sense.

Taronga also have a few decent sized off display exhibits that can be utilised to house a few smaller groups of Lions. The whole setup is designed so Dubbo can essentially breed in large numbers (and be able to accommodate any surplus cubs born).

It’s very excited as Taronga Western Plains Zoo will soon have the largest integrated pride in the region (confirmed by the zoo’s announcement on socials this evening stating that the cubs would be introduced to their older siblings, including their brothers).

Long term, the zoo will have seven lionesses (including Marion), assuming the new female cubs survive and that conflicts don’t arise amongst the lionesses as they mature (which can occur as it has recently at Monarto).

If the zoo takes the option of transferring out Lwazi and his sons and bringing in new males to head up the main pride, one of the advantages will be the zoo will have multiple females to breed from - so could replicate the natural social order by having multiple (presuambly two due to capacity) synchronised litters. Monarto tried several times to achieve this - succeeding once in 2013.

 

[Zoofan15]

Werribee Open Range Zoo - Asali’s cub has died:

Some heartbreaking news from Zoos Victoria:

We're heartbroken to announce that an African Lion cub has sadly died from kidney issues after its mother Asali unexpectedly stopped producing maternal milk.

At three weeks old, the cub was observed showing signs of weakness and poor weight gain which prompted an emergency examination under anaesthesia at Werribee Open Range Zoo's veterinary hospital.

The labour and post-birth interactions were monitored remotely via 24-hour cameras, without disturbing the pair's natural bonding process. Intervention was a last resort, made only when the cub’s health was at risk, as separating it from its mother carries a high risk of maternal rejection.

The cub received extensive care, however there was no chance of recovery, leading the veterinary team to make the only compassionate and humane decision, to euthanise the extremely sick cub to prevent its suffering.

 

[Zoofan15]

Pouakai Zoo Update

I visited Pouakai Zoo for the first time on 10/04/2025 and have some information on their lions, which are held across two exhibits:

The Southern exhibit is larger and holds the first pride of 1.2 lions:

1.0 Benji (02/08/2011) Ben x Hana
0.1 Ayla (21/02/2012) Max x Luca
0.1 Aleeka (21/02/2012) Max x Luca

The smaller Northern exhibit holds the second pride of 1.1 lions:

1.0 Seb (01/05/2021) Xander x Bella
0.1 Sacha (01/05/2021) Xander x Bella

I was aware the prides were non-breeding, but I learned all three lionesses have been speyed, so there’s zero possibility of this arrangement changing in the future. The rationale behind this is that Pouakai Zoo hasn’t got the den space to facilitate breeding and so they’ll continue to act in support of Paradise Valley Springs (holding their surplus).

I last saw Benji, Aleekah and Ayla at Paradise Valley Springs in 2020. Aleekah has proved a dominant lioness since adolescence and had been involved in clashes in her natal pride with her sister Hana. Benji isn’t an assertive male (his younger brother Xander had assumed the alpha role prior to Benji’s transfer) and he will often defer to Aleekah.

This was my first time meeting Seb and Sacha. Seb was notably larger than Benji and is a very placid male. Both he and Sacha are very playful and Sacha was seen chasing birds at one point during my visit. The owner advised the pair were coming into conflict within their natal pride prior to their departure from Paradise Valley Springs. Presumably Xander was intolerant of his then adolescent son; while Sacha could have been challenging either her mother or great-grandmother, Luca.

These five lions are related to Pouakai Zoo’s previous lions (Aslan, Asha and Leah) as follows:

Spoiler: Pouakai Zoo/Paradise Valley Springs Lion Ancestry

Leo and Sheba produced Susie and Honey.

Leo and Cleo produced Sam.

Sam and Susie produced Jake and Ryo.

Jake and Honey produced Max.

Jake and Ryo produced Zac.

Max and Ryo produced Luca, Leah, Aslan, Asha and Ben.

Zac and Luca produced Hana.

Max and Luca produced Aleekah, Ayla and Xander.

Ben and Hana produced Benji and Bella.

Xander and Bella produced Seb and Sacha.

Seb:



Sacha:



Benji and Ayla:



Aleekah:

 

[Zoofan15]

Darling Downs Zoo - Update on Groupings

Thank you to @Patrick Keegan for the update on Darling Downs Zoo’s prides, which are housed as follows:

1.0 Shaka (21/07/2009) Imported 2010 (South Africa)
0.1 Shenzi (06/08/2009) Imported 2010 (South Africa)

1.0 Kwanza (12/11/2012) Shaka x Shenzi
0.1 Sahara (10/10/2011) Fred x Dalila
0.1 Buffy (10/10/2011) Fred x Dalila
0.1 Sassy (10/10/2011) Fred x Dalila

1.0 Mal (02/07/2014) Unknown x Unknown
0.1 Msichana (13/01/2015) Shaka x Shenzi

1.0 Caesar (07/08/2024) Mal x Sassy

 

[Zoofan15]

Darling Downs Zoo - Shenzi (2009-2025)

Thank you to @Zorro for sharing news of the passing of Shenzi at Darling Downs Zoo.

Her death reduces Darling Downs Zoo’s holdings to 4.4 lions across four groupings (see post above).

It would appear the pairing of Mal (proven breeder) with Shenzi’s daughter (Msichana) offers the best chance of a continuation of this line.

 

[Zoofan15]

Birth Announcement - Darling Downs Zoo

Two lion cubs have been born at Darling Downs Zoo (awaiting further details, but parents are presumably Mal and Msichana). Thanks to @Zorro for sharing in the Darling Downs Zoo news thread.

This is the region’s third reported lion birth of 2025 - with Dubbo announcing 1.2 cubs (all surviving) born February 2025; and Werribee announcing 0.1 cubs (non-surviving) born March 2025.

 

[Tam Skylonobi]

Although the cubs at Dubbo have recently debuted I am so surprised that they have not been named yet.

 

[Zoofan15]

Although the cubs at Dubbo have recently debuted I am so surprised that they have not been named yet.

These are Dubbo’s three most recent litters:

Named at 20 weeks:

0.1 Amali (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Imani (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Mara (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion

Named at 10 weeks:

1.0 Bahati (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Jabari (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Zawadi (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion

Unnamed at 15 weeks:

1.0 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion

The first and third litter debuted without being named; while the second were named shortly before they debuted. In line with the above, it’s not surprising they’ve gone 15 weeks without naming them, but we can surely expect to see them named within the next month. Hopefully they use this time to come up with something more original than what they named the last litter; as while I appreciate the use of African names, the ones selected (apparently chosen by donors from a shortlist) are all extremely overused. Let’s not follow it up by naming these cubs names like Bakari, Johari, Jelani, Malika, Kimya, Nuru and Zuri. It wouldn’t be surprising however to see one of the females named Tisa (ninth born) to reflect her parents producing nine offspring (a rare event these days).

 

[Tam Skylonobi]

These are Dubbo’s three most recent litters:

Named at 20 weeks:

0.1 Amali (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Imani (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Mara (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion

Named at 10 weeks:

1.0 Bahati (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Jabari (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Zawadi (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion

Unnamed at 15 weeks:

1.0 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion

The first and third litter debuted without being named; while the second were named shortly before they debuted. In line with the above, it’s not surprising they’ve gone 15 weeks without naming them, but we can surely expect to see them named within the next month. Hopefully they use this time to come up with something more original than what they named the last litter; as while I appreciate the use of African names, the ones selected (apparently chosen by donors from a shortlist) are all extremely overused. Let’s not follow it up by naming these cubs names like Bakari, Johari, Jelani, Malika, Kimya, Nuru and Zuri. It wouldn’t be surprising however to see one of the females named Tisa (ninth born) to reflect her parents producing nine offspring (a rare event these days).

Tisa definitely sounds like a great name for the female cub, I've heard of all the other names before for other lions that you mentioned above with the exception of Nuru, therefore I don't mind that. I also don't remember hearing a lion named Kimya yet so I guess that should also be fine. As for the male cub, my personal suggestion is the name Mufasa as a way to honor the late actor James Earl Jones who voiced the character in The Lion King and its 2019 remake.

 

[Zoofan15]

Tisa definitely sounds like a great name for the female cub, I've heard of all the other names before for other lions that you mentioned above with the exception of Nuru, therefore I don't mind that. I also don't remember hearing a lion named Kimya yet so I guess that should also be fine. As for the male cub, my personal suggestion is the name Mufasa as a way to honor the late actor James Earl Jones who voiced the character in The Lion King and its 2019 remake.

The Swahili names I mention are just overused in general - on giraffes, zebras, gorillas etc.

It’s always nice when zoos come up with an original name that’s never been used before in the region - whether it’s looking beyond Page 1 of the online baby name generators; thinking beyond the obvious qualities of a lion (associations with royalty; brave/strong etc); or taking inspiration from their native range. Mara is my favourite name in this pride - after the Masai Mara National Park. It hadn’t been used on a lion in Australasia since 1987 when it was given to this young female.

The private zoos seemed to favour Lion King names for a while there (we had a few Nala’s, Kiara’s and Kovu’s). There’s a reasonable chance one of them will name a lion Mufasa in the future; but I can’t see Taronga Western Plains Zoo aligning themselves with the Disney brand.

 

[Zoofan15]

Darling Downs Zoo - Lion Cub Update

The twin cubs were sired by Kwanza and were reported on socials to be one month old yesterday (born May 12).
@Patrick Keegan reported from his visit that Kwanza was housed with these three females:

1.0 Kwanza (12/11/2012) Shaka x Shenzi
0.1 Sahara (10/10/2011) Fred x Dalila
0.1 Buffy (10/10/2011) Fred x Dalila
0.1 Sassy (10/10/2011) Fred x Dalila

Sassy appears the most likely dam considering she produced a cub last August; but that was with a different male and Kwanza may well have had a preference for one of her sisters.

Photos of the cubs in the home (and being bottle fed) on socials suggest they’re being hand-raised. With a nine month gap between them and Caesar, this could be a great opportunity to introduce them once the younger litter are robust enough to withstand interactions with Caesar.

 

[Zoofan15]

Darling Downs Zoo - Lion Cub Update

The twin cubs were sired by Kwanza and were reported on socials to be one month old yesterday (born May 12).
@Patrick Keegan reported from his visit that Kwanza was housed with these three females:

1.0 Kwanza (12/11/2012) Shaka x Shenzi
0.1 Sahara (10/10/2011) Fred x Dalila
0.1 Buffy (10/10/2011) Fred x Dalila
0.1 Sassy (10/10/2011) Fred x Dalila

Sassy appears the most likely dam considering she produced a cub last August; but that was with a different male and Kwanza may well have had a preference for one of her sisters.

Photos of the cubs in the home (and being bottle fed) on socials suggest they’re being hand-raised. With a nine month gap between them and Caesar, this could be a great opportunity to introduce them once the younger litter are robust enough to withstand interactions with Caesar.

Darling Downs Zoo - Lion Cubs Named

The 1.1 cubs have been named Alexis and Athena.

It’s nice to see a pair of names from Ancient Greece; following on from Caesar receiving a name from Ancient Rome (in reference to his Caesarean birth).

Lions are of course steeped in the history of ancient civilisations, making these names as fitting as any African name. A refreshing change from the 100th Jabari.

 

[Abbey]

Darling Downs Zoo - Lion Cub Update

The twin cubs were sired by Kwanza and were reported on socials to be one month old yesterday (born May 12).
@Patrick Keegan reported from his visit that Kwanza was housed with these three females:

1.0 Kwanza (12/11/2012) Shaka x Shenzi
0.1 Sahara (10/10/2011) Fred x Dalila
0.1 Buffy (10/10/2011) Fred x Dalila
0.1 Sassy (10/10/2011) Fred x Dalila

Sassy appears the most likely dam considering she produced a cub last August; but that was with a different male and Kwanza may well have had a preference for one of her sisters.

Photos of the cubs in the home (and being bottle fed) on socials suggest they’re being hand-raised. With a nine month gap between them and Caesar, this could be a great opportunity to introduce them once the younger litter are robust enough to withstand interactions with Caesar.

I've been looking at my photos from my visit to work out if any of these females looked pregnant, but not only can't I really tell, I also can't remember which was which! Hopefully the zoo will confirm at some stage. It's good to hear that Kwanza was able to father a little after all, as it was deemed unlikely.

 

[Zoofan15]

I've been looking at my photos from my visit to work out if any of these females looked pregnant, but not only can't I really tell, I also can't remember which was which! Hopefully the zoo will confirm at some stage. It's good to hear that Kwanza was able to father a little after all, as it was deemed unlikely.

Especially since Kwanza was a single cub in his litter, growing up with a dog as a companion. Peer-raised lions are usually more successful in integrating into prides and breeding than lions handraised as single cubs, but handraised single cubs have successfully bred - including Sheeka, born 1999 at Mogo Zoo. She remained humanised and low ranking in Auckland’s pride, but was accepted and successfully bred. Introducing her to the mother raised Kura provided her with an adequate repertoire of social skills.

(Side note: Kura received her name in the US, but by coincidence it means ‘school’ in Māori. I always thought this was fitting as she was credited with teaching Sheeka for want of a better word).

Since Caesar is nine months older than the twins, I assume there’s a plan to integrate them once the twins are old enough. Mogo achieved this with two handraised cubs born 12 months apart (when the younger cub was around 9-12 months of age).