Lionesses Sunny and Amali Transfer from MCZ
Posted January 2020
On Jan. 9, 2020, lionesses Sunny and Amali transferred to a fellow AZA-accredited zoo, at the request of the African Lion Species Survival Plan®.
Because of her genetic diversity, Sunny is highly ranked on the mean kinship list, so the SSP recommended the transfer for her to be paired with a male who is a better genetic match.
Although Sunny and Amali were able to see and interact with our male Themba, he didn’t quite display the behaviors the animal care staff felt comfortable with in moving forward to introduce him to the females. MCZ keepers were in discussions with other zoos which had recent experience with lion introductions, and determined it was better for the SSP to seek a more suitable match.
Sisters Sunny and Amali arrived at the Milwaukee County Zoo in December 2015. MCZ did not receive a specific SSP breeding recommendation for the pair -- future breeding was at the discretion of our animal care staff.
MCZ continues to work with the SSP for additional lions to join Themba in the coming months.
