The lionesses at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium have a male companion.
Hondo, an 8-year-old male African lion from the Idaho Falls Zoo, arrived at the zoo in Highland Park to join lionesses Abana and Scarlett.
He and the lionesses will alternate being on view in their outdoor habitat.
Typically, a pride (a group of lions) comprises several female lions, their offspring and a few adult males.
The zoo worked closely with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ African Lion Species Survival Plan to find a good match for its lionesses.
The zoo announced Hondo on Tuesday via social media.
Expert zoo advisors provide breeding and transfer recommendations across zoos to assure genetic and demographic diversity for lions in human care, according to the Pittsburgh Zoo.
Hondo is considered the most eligible bachelor.
“There were lots of matches, but Hondo was the best fit,” Pittsburgh Zoo curator of mammals Kelsey Forbes said in a statement. “He is good with females, having lived with his mother and two younger sisters. Here in Pittsburgh so far, Hondo is a perfect gentleman, and the ladies are obsessed with him.”
Introducing a lion to an existing pride and negotiating pride dynamics is not an easy process, the zoo said. Hondo will be slowly introduced to the lionesses. Females take longer to accept a new pride member — anywhere from three months to five years.
“The Zoo’s lion habitat is set up in such a way that the lions are given lots of opportunities to see and smell each other,” Forbes said.
Lions typically call — a means of communication — at sunrise and sunset.
“Our hope is for a calm and fairly seamless pride integration,” Forbes said. “We are watching for them to eat side by side without aggression. Scarlett and Abana are already responding to Hondo’s call. This is beautiful music for a potential relationship!”
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Could that eventually mean baby lions?
“That remains up to them!” Forbes said.
Details: pittsburghzoo.org