HOUSTON – The Houston Zoo has acquired a lion named Hasani.
Guests can see three-year-old, 400-pound male most mornings in the lion habitat.
PHOTOS: Houston Zoo acquires African lion
While he's currently getting to know the three lionesses, they'll be alternating time in the yard until they are all better acquainted, the Houston Zoo said in a press release about Hasani’s arrival.
Hasani was born at the Oregon Zoo, an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited zoo, as a result of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), the zoo said in its release. The mission of the AZA’s SSP is to oversee the population management of select species within AZA member institutions and to enhance conservation of those species in the wild.
The Houston Zoo does not have a current recommendation to pair Hasani with one of the females in the pride at this time.
Hasani is the first male lion to reside at the Houston Zoo since the passing of beloved zoo-icon, Jonathan, in September 2016.