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The Greenville Zoo is throwing a farewell party Thursday, July 22 at 11 a.m. for its two African
lions, Magi and Dosari, who will be moving back to their original home at the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo in
Thurmont, Md. this fall.The pair were on loan as part of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's (AZA's) Species Survival Plan (SSP) program, of which the Greenville Zoo is a participant. The SSP is a cooperative population management and conservation program for a species and is essential to long-term management of captive populations of many species, including lions. Though currently not considered endangered, the wild population of African lions has dwindled over the last two decades, making conservation efforts very important to the survival of the species. In working with the SSP, the Greenville Zoo is recommended to receive two young male lions this fall from the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC. Once mature, the SSP will recommend that one of the males be transferred to another facility and a female come to Greenville to be paired with the remaining male. According to Greenville Zoo Director Jeff Bullock, participation in such breeding programs is essential for the zoo to remain an accredited institution. �It also allows us to bring in many new animals and to produce offspring that will help maintain a genetically diverse population essential for long-term captive management of any population,� said Bullock. The Greenville Zoo�s African lion siblings, Magi and Dosari, were born at the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo in 2001. The pair originally came to the Greenville Zoo on a loan in 2004. They travelled back to the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo in 2006 during the construction of the giraffe exhibit and renovation of the lion exhibit. Both returned at the end of 2007 for the exhibit�s grand reopening. About the Greenville Zoo Groundbreaking of the Greenville Zoo began nearly 50 years ago in Cleveland Park and opened to the public with mostly indigenous animals including bears, deer, bobcat, foxes, ducks and prairie dogs. Today, the Greenville Zoo is rated one of the best tourist attractions in South Carolina, attracting over 270,000 people annually to its 14-acre facility filled with wildlife from around the world including giraffe, monkeys, giant tortoises and elephants. The Greenville Zoo is open seven days a week, except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The zoo�s hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the gates close at 5 p.m. For more information about the Greenville Zoo, visit www.greenvillezoo.com or become a fan on Facebook. (Images provided by Greenville Zoo.)
Looking for more happenings in the area? Check out Greenville.com's comprehensive visitor center.
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