Simba The Lion Leaving Detroit Zoo After More Than A Decade

ROYAL OAK, MI — A lion who has lived at the Detroit Zoo for more than a decade is leaving the zoo, officials said.

The lion, named Simba, is being moved to the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he has a newly constructed lion habitat waiting for him, officials said.

While Simba lived at the Detroit Zoo, he fathered one cub, Binti, officials said.

"Though we will miss him dearly, we know he will receive the highest level of care in his new home and continue to be a fantastic ambassador for African lions in the wild," Detroit Zoo officials said.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums recommended Simba's transfer to support the sustainability of a healthy, genetically diverse and demographically varied lion population in zoos, officials said.

Officials did not provide an exact transfer date, rather only saying that he will be leaving "in the near future."