Posted: January 20, 2016
Animal care staff at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo recently welcomed a new resident to the African Savanna exhibit. �Doc,� a two-year-old male African lion, made the journey from the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas and arrived safely in December.
�We are very excited to welcome Doc to the Zoo's African Savanna,� said Executive Director of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Christopher Kuhar. �Doc is a great addition to the pride. We are planning to exhibit him in the next few weeks.�
Following his arrival, Doc spent a routine 30 days in quarantine at the Sarah Allison Steffee Center for Zoological Medicine and was given a thorough physical examination. Recently, he was transferred to the lion building and has begun his introduction to the Zoo's two female lions, Serena and Nala.
Doc was born on January 22, 2014 at the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, Texas to a litter of four with three sisters, Zuri, Amira and Malika. Doc's parents and sisters currently all reside at the Caldwell Zoo; Doc was moved to avoid conflict with his father, Ayotunde.
As an adolescent male, Doc does not have his full mane yet. As Doc matures, his mane will continue to grow larger and become darker in color. Primarily found in the protected grasslands south of the Sahara Desert and in parts of southern and eastern Africa, lions have a life expectancy of 14 years in the wild and can live up to 20 years in zoos. They are classified as �vulnerable� in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Northeast Ohio's most-visited year-round attraction, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Parking is free. Located at 3900 Wildlife Way, the Zoo is easily accessible from Interstates 71, 90 and 480.