By Ben Rodgers
Editor
SUAMICO – The newest Animals of the Month at the NEW Zoo & Adventure Park are a top draw and kings of their domain.
Ajia and Loiwatwa, or Loid for short, are two African lions that are among the most popular animals at the zoo.
“They are always the iconic zoo animal,” said Jessica Hutjens, a senior zookeeper specializing in dangerous and endangered animals. “Most AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) zoos have them.”
Located next to Hodari and Zuri, the zoo’s two reticulated giraffes, Ajia and Loid spend most of their days just like their their house cat cousins.
“Lions are like a normal house cat,” Hutjens said. “They do tend to sleep for 18-20 hours a day.”
Initially there was some novelty with the lions and giraffes being paired so close together, she said.
“It doesn’t seem to stress the giraffes out,” Hutjens said. “If anything they actually seem to taunt the lions.”
It’s a good thing for the giraffes that there is strong fencing between them and Ajia and Loid, because in the wild they could very well be on the day’s menu.
As a top apex predator in Africa, lions will eat gazelles, zebras, wildebeests and antelope and other mammals.
At the NEW Zoo they are fed a steady diet that resembles uncooked meatballs.
“Here they get a formulated meat,” Hutjens said. “It’s Nebraska brand feline diet and it has the nutrients they need to stay healthy.”
But different from the wild, at the NEW Zoo the female doesn’t need to do all the hunting.
“Usually within the pride there is a relationship of mothers, sisters and aunts that do the hunting and the male gets first pick at the best meat,” Hutjens said.
Because Ajia is 13 and Loid is only 3, she has been in the habitat longer and actually acts as the alpha presence, Hutjens said.
She gets her food first, and tends to be loud before meals, and she gets first priority for entering the den most times.
As with all AZA zoos, Ajia and Loid were bred in captivity and have never seen the wild.
The duo is also part of the Species Survival Plan for breeding, so in the event more lions are needed for AZA zoos Ajia and Loid might be called upon.
Right now the African lion is listed as a vulnerable species, one step above endangered.
“They do have problems in the wild due to poaching and human encroachment,” Hutjens said.
It’s not just people poaching lions, but people also poaching the animals that the lions eat.
But at the NEW Zoo they are happy and content with their food, training and enrichment activities.
The lions are trained by Hutjens to be more accessible for medical concerns.
As for enrichment, Hutjens gave Loid a big ball to play with and she will also place fur in their cage to simulate a new scent and blood trails in their habitat so they can feel more in the wild.
For her own safety, Hutjens is never alone in the habitat with them. She cleans and locks the den when they are in the habitat and vice versa.
“If you can imagine a 10-pound house cat playing with your arm, multiply that by 40 times and imagine the damage they could do,” she said.
The NEW Zoo is also in the process of creating a VIP experience for the lions.
This would allow visitors to get closer than ever before, and still be behind two chain link fences.
For more information on the NEW Zoo, or to stay up top date on VIP program offers, follow the NEW Zoo on social media or visit newzoo.org.