Press release from the City of Great Bend…

Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo has big news!! Zoo Staff has officially moved the two female lion cubs, Amana & Sauda to the lion building to begin the introduction process with our male lion King Louie “Luke”.  The two females were brought here to create a lion “pride” or family for the male in the big enclosure. This is exciting and anxious time for staff, therefore we need help from the public.

Zoo Supervisor Sara Hamlin stated, “We would ask that our guests bear with us during this process as we have to make decisions that we feel will create the most positive environment for our animals.”  There is no timeline for how long this process will take as it all depends on the lion’s behavior. It could take as little time as a week or two up to several months.  Hamlin stated, “We will have to close off the area to the public around the exhibit. In a situation like this we have no idea how the animals will react so we are planning for every possible scenario but we are hopeful that in the end we will have a happy, cohesive pride that will be ambassadors of their species.”

As far as the empty tiger exhibit, staff has plans to renovate it. It is 20 years old and is in need of some repair work. At this point we have no timeline for when renovations will happen, just that they need to happen before new tigers can be brought in. We appreciate our community’s patience while we work to provide our animals with the absolute best care we can.

More information about lion introductions can be found on page 35 of the lion care manual. https://www.aza.org/animal-care-manuals

For more information about the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo, contact Sara at the Zoo 620-793-4226.