Little lion warrior learning his place in the pride

Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s littlest warrior has slowly been meeting the other members of his pride.

Kijani, a male African lion cub born to Kiki on Oct. 11, recently started full visits in the same den as his half sister, Zamaya. (They share Kiki as their mother.) Kijani also has been introduced to his sire, Chisulo, through wire mesh.

The cub, the first lion born at the zoo since 1968, has stayed with his mother through the first months of his life, much as he would in the wild, before being slowly introduced to other members of his pride.

The process of introductions through wire mesh, called a “howdy” among zoo staff, allows the older cats time to adjust to the young cub without being able to harm him. As they become accustomed to him – and he to them – they can make personal contact.

Also important was how Kiki would react to others meeting her son. She was a protective mother at first, keeping him close at hand and zoo staff away until he was about a month old.

Kijani was named following a zoo contest in which zoo-goers voted on six names with their dollars. Kijani, Swahili for warrior, raised the most money at $480. The money raised went to to the Ruaha Carnivore Project in Tanzania. The project, part of Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, aims to help develop conservation strategies for large carnivores in Tanzania’s remote Ruaha landscape, which includes Ruaha National Park, the largest park in Tanzania and the second largest in Africa.

Kijani will not be allowed out to greet the public until the weather is at least 55 degrees and sunny or 60 degrees and not raining.

This story was originally published December 15, 2016 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Little lion warrior learning his place in the pride."