This month, Haji and Asani, the lion cubs of the Audubon Zoo,  are celebrating their first birthday. Born January 11, 2020, to Kali and Arnold, both cubs are quickly becoming mature lions.

Although Audubon Zoo and Audubon Aquarium of the Americas have reopened, COVID-19 has left the zoo in an unprecedented financial situation and is seeking help from the public. Donations provide nutritious food and vital medication and keep animals, like Haji and Asani, happy and healthy as they grow.

Lions are critically endangered with a total population of only 20,000. Audubon is trying to change that.

The African lion was once widespread across most of Africa and even parts of Europe and Asia. Sadly, African lions have since undergone catastrophic declines, from as many as 200,000 wild lions in Africa a century ago to about 20,000 today.

As a result, African lions are now confined to a number of isolated areas as shown on the map (in red), amounting to only about 20% of its historic range. Much of this shrinking distribution has been due to illegal hunting and habitat destruction.

Audubon welcomed the cubs as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan Breeding guidelines. In addition to creating a population safety net of lions in human care, they teamed up with Disney to Protect the Pride by supporting the Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund to help African wildlife, habitats, and communities.

In order to donate, visit here.