This is a paid piece from the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium.

Simplified: Visitors to the Great Plains Zoo this spring may see both of the lions, Simba and Amahle, together in the same exhibit. Here's a look at how the zoo has worked to introduce the two animals together over the last several months, as well as some other big habitat moves you'll see this spring.

Why it matters

  • The two lions came to the zoo last summer in a brand new habitat, but they've been kept in separate spaces to give them time to adjust to both a new living space and to each other.
  • Their habitat is set up in such a way that the lions have been given lots of opportunities to both see and smell one another. That's given the zoo's carnivore team a chance to monitor how the two animals were responding to each other and watch for signals that they were ready to share the same space.
    • Those signals could be things like the lions laying close to each other or calling back and forth for each other, Director of Animal Care Joel Locke said.
  • On April 15, the zoo team recognized that Simba and Amahle were showing enough positive behaviors toward each other through their partition that they were ready to be together. They introduced them together in the same habitat, and the two lions have been together ever since. But that doesn't mean they'll always be together when you visit the zoo.
"We're still far from out of the woods," Locke said. "I can't guarantee tomorrow they’ll be together. Right now, it’s kind of day-to-day with us reading their behavior."

So, does this mean there will be lion cubs soon?

Well, not necessarily.

Simba and Amahle have been identified as a good genetic match to have their own pride, Locke said, but just because they're in the same space doesn't mean they'll start breeding.

"Our goal is to have a pride that Sioux Falls can call its own, but that is not up to us," Locke said.

He compared it to any other couple. Maybe they can't get pregnant, or they decide not to mate, or any other number of variables.

"Once I put them together, that is totally out of my control," Locke said.

Tell me more about habitat moves

Six American Red Wolf pups were born at the zoo in the spring of 2023 as part of the zoo's work to keep this highly endangered species from going extinct, and now, as those pups grow, they need more space.

  • While their habitat is under construction starting mid-May, the wolves will move to the African painted dog exhibit in the southwest corner of the zoo campus. Meanwhile, the painted dogs will move to the south side of the lion exhibit
  • The red fox will be also taken off exhibit temporarily as the wolves exhibit is expanded, and the zoo will work to make a new habitat for her, PR and Marketing Director Denise DePaolo said.

Additionally, the flamingos will soon move to their open-air exhibit in the building near the zoo plaza.

The zoo is also working to get the penguins to their outdoor exhibit, though some work has to be done to make sure there's netting in place to protect them from migratory birds.

In addition to the habitat changes, visitors to the zoo will also encounter some construction as the city works to redo a portion of the sidewalk on the south side of the zoo.

"People can expect to see a few more minor concrete projects so some paths may be rerouted temporarily if that happens, but we're getting this work done before the season really ramps up," DePaolo said.

What else do I need to know about the zoo this season?

There's still time to get up to $25 in Zoo Bucks with the purchase of an annual membership.