Meet Mshango, Zahara & Neema — Newest Stars of Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Earlier this week, we brought you the exciting news that a new pride of lions debuted on the savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
Guests riding Kilimanjaro Safaris were thrilled to see the new cats, who just so happened to arrive ahead of the release of Mufasa: The Lion King.
Photo: MickeyTravels agent Savannah Putty
As it turns out, the new lions are siblings named Mshango, Zahara, and Neema! Here is their story.
The Lions Are Part of a Larger Plan
In addition to starring in Animal Kingdom’s flagship attraction, the new pride of lions represents an important part of the future lion population. According to Disney, in time, the siblings could breed with members of another pride as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan.
Photo: Disney
The master plan is designed to ensure the responsible breeding and genetic diversity of various animal populations, especially those that are threatened or endangered in the wild.
Disney Relaunches ‘Protect the Pride’
Finally, as part of Disney’s commitment to conservation efforts and in celebration of Mufasa: The Lion King’s upcoming release, Disney has relaunched its global Protect the Pride conservation campaign.
Protect the Pride will support the Wildlife Conservation Network’s Lion Recovery Fund. The organization is working across Africa to double the number of lions in the wild by 20250.
To learn more about Disney’s Protect the Pride initiative, visit Disney.com/MufasaProtectThePride.
As always, be sure to check back with MickeyBlog. We will continue to update you on all the news coming out of Walt Disney World.
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