The boys are back in town!
Ajani and Razi, a pair of 2-year-old male lions from the Virginia Zoological Park in Norfolk, will officially meet visitors to the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium on Saturday.
Their arrival last month marks the first male lion here since 20-year-old Juma died in March — making visitors lonesome for his early morning roar.
"People always ask, because it's such a majestic animal," said Kathy Suthard, lead carnivore keeper.
During a sneak preview this morning, Ajani let out a little roar as he lead his brother into the exhibit area, then he scratched the ground and marked his territory. The boys eventually lay in the tall grass and surveyed their new home.
The zoo's oldest female, Shiba, welcomes their arrival, zoo officials said, but that's not true for the other females, Mhina and Kaidi.
"With (Juma) being gone, the 11-year-old sisters thought they were in control," Suthard said. "When the two boys came in, it certainly upset the apple cart."
The Zoo will bring in some other females in three or four years as potential mates for the young lions. The two sisters, confiscated from a private owner, had been neutered.
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