SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - Lions have returned to Zoo Miami for the first time since the death of the zoo’s elderly residents, Jabari and Kwame, as two young brothers from Arizona made their debut in a new habitat this week, officials announced.
The pair, Azizi and Jasiri, arrived from the Phoenix Zoo on Nov. 6 and recently completed their quarantine period.
Born in June 2024, the males are just over a year old and still growing into the full manes that will define them as adults, Zoo Miami said.
On Tuesday, the brothers stepped into their exhibit for the first time, cautiously exploring the habitat side by side.
Zoo staff said the lions investigated trees, enrichment items and climbed atop a large rock formation nicknamed “Pride Rock,” a nod to Disney’s “The Lion King.”
To help them settle in, animal science staff provided large bones for enrichment, which the young lions chewed enthusiastically before returning to their holding area for a rest.
The public may catch glimpses of the pair in the coming weeks as they undergo a “soft opening” with periodic exhibit access.
As they grow more comfortable, they will eventually become a regular presence at the zoo.
Zoo Miami said Azizi and Jasiri are the beginning of a long-term plan to rebuild a full pride, with the intention of bringing in female lions as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan.
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