Bye-bye lions: San Francisco Zoo announces plans to send remaining lions elsewhere

SAN FRANCISCO - They’re some of the San Francisco Zoo’s most cherished attractions and currently the largest big cats in its residence, but plans are underway to send the facility’s two remaining lions elsewhere, leaving the zoo lionless.  

What we know:

On Wednesday, zoo officials announced they planned to send Marvella and Jasiri, their two remaining lions, to another accredited zoo.

"We have now decided to re-home our lions, as the habitat as it currently stands is not adequate for our aging pair," said CEO & Executive Director Cassandra Costello in a news release.

Officials said they have spent more than a year now seeking avenues to try and keep Marvella and Jasiri at the zoo. But they said that the lions’ habitat has already been designated as the future home for a pair of giant pandas that have been promised to the zoo from China.

While the panda plan was yet to be solidified, the zoo said it decided that finding a new home for the lions would ultimately benefit "their long-term welfare needs as they age."

Outdated enclosure, aging lions

The lions’ enclosure is an 86-year-old exhibit in need of major renovation, officials said.

In addition to being outdated, the zoo pointed to major structural changes that would be needed to help the lions navigate the space as they got older. 

"The reality is that the original exhibit was built for a different era," said SF Zoo Curator of Carnivores Tina Hunter Burnam, who added, "As our lions get older, they have different, individual needs, specifically, accessibility to flat surfaces. There is also concern that, should an animal have difficulty climbing out of the lower moat, animal and veterinary staff have limited ways of accessing the cat." 

The zoo said the decision comes after unsuccessful efforts to find another area of the zoo to rehouse the lions. 

"It is not feasible to build a new habitat for lions at this time, and other existing areas cannot adequately house big cats safely and securely," explained Eric Krussman, executive vice president of animal care.  

Approaching their senior years

Dig deeper:

With African lions in captivity typically living 15 to 20 years, the zoo said both are entering their senior years.

Marvella is an 11-year-old female lion who arrived at the zoo in 2023 from Kansas at the Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City. 

Jasiri, a 10-year-old male, has the distinction of having the loudest roar of all the zoo's big cats, said to reach up to 114 decibels that can be heard as far as 5 miles away.

Born at the San Francisco Zoo in 2015, it’s the only home he has known. At the age of just 1, Jasiri was diagnosed with a congenital spinal condition which affected his strength and coordination and has required ongoing special care including physical therapy, according to the zoo.

"Both lions remain agile and mobile, but as they age, they are starting to experience some mobility challenges," said Dr. Nick Dannemiller, a clinical veterinarian with the zoo. "Even in old age, we want animals to have choice, comfort, and control over their lives, and the current enclosure presents physical challenge, particularly for Jasiri, given his congenital spinal condition." 

Pandas' arrival?

KTVU previously reported a new panda enclosure would cost an estimated $25 million.

And there has been some pushback on the plan to bring the pandas to San Francisco.

Independent advocacy group San Francisco Zoo Watch pointed to the financial struggles already facing the zoo. The group argued that while adding pandas to the facility would increase visitor traffic for a few years, in the long term, the plan would hurt the zoo's fiscal standing. 

The zoo said even without the lions’ exhibit being turned into a new home for the pending arrival of the giant pandas, the 1940s-era enclosure had been on its shortlist of habitats that are in need of upgrades. 

The backstory:

In 2024, San Francisco’s previous Mayor London Breed struck an agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association to bring two giant pandas to the zoo. 

There was no timeline for the pandas’ arrival, but Breed’s office then said it would be dependent on the completion of a panda enclosure at the zoo.

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KTVU reached out to the current Mayor Daniel Lurie's office for updates on the panda transfer. But the office referred us to the zoo saying, "The zoo should be the best source of info here." 

SF Zoo officials acknowledged the plan was still in limbo, noting that there has not yet been confirmation that the pandas will be joining the facility. 

But they stressed, "Whether or not Giant pandas arrive, the outdoor exhibit requires extensive renovation."

What we don't know:

There’s no word on when Marvella and Jasiri will be rehomed or where they will go. 

‘Bonded pair’

But wherever they end up, the two will remain together. 

The zoo said it was working with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to find an accredited zoo to "take both of them together as a bonded pair."

Officials said they considered all of their options and that it was hard to reach this conclusion. 

"This is an extremely difficult decision," Costello said, "as our lions are beloved by their caretakers, our staff and the public."

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