Desert lion

Panthera Leo

Malkia

Soul and Queen of the Park

Our first rescued lioness Malkia gave the name and meaning to the whole project. Malkia means queen in Swahili. She was born in captivity to the previous owner’s lion parents, Leo and Elza. However, the mother rejected her and was condemned to the help of man. Although she was born with a broken tail, it certainly didn’t take away from her beauty and charm. In the wild, she might not survive with this handicap. As a cub she grew up with a golden retriever until Adelle, her younger sister, arrived and she lived happily in the same enclosure. Adelle left us forever on 2.3.2021. At the beginning of 2023 we managed to get Malkia together with a male Alex.

When keeping felines in human care, the general principle is that the older the animals get, the more difficult it can be to form a harmonious pair. It may seem that our animals are still young, but it should be remembered that in the wild lions this old are already in the last stage of their lives. The maximum age of a lion in the wild is around 10 years.

Lions are not solitary animals, so we didn’t want to leave Malkia alone either. We decided to create a new lion pair. We had three applicants (Kevin, Alex, Diego) for the next partner for Malkia. We gradually introduced her to each one through the bars and watched carefully the reactions of both animals. We noticed that the biggest spark jumped between Malkia and Alex. We started a longer process of introductions, we “housed” the animals next to each other, so they took turns in the enclosure, they could see each other, smell each other, but they couldn’t get to each other through the double mesh. We waited for Malkia to come into estrus, when the female is more friendly to the male, and on D-day we let the animals go to each other. Of course, lions are not romantics, so the first contact was not without theatrics and “teasing”, but in the end everything worked out well and the animals agreed on common rules.

However, we will not see any offspring, all our big felines are neutered because our breeding is not focused on producing offspring. Nevertheless, we believe that the creation of this pair was meaningful for both animals, who will have many nice moments in the future!

The lion is distinguished from other felids by its short, close-fitting, sand-coloured coat and the end of its tail, where it has long, darker fur. Already at first glance, sexual dimorphism, i.e. a marked difference between male and female, is visible. The male has a thick mane covering his head and neck. The colour and density of the mane inform about the age and health of the lion. Young males have a mostly light brown mane that darkens over time. Old males can be recognized by their very dark, almost black mane. The mane also has a vital function – when two males fight over females and territory, the males strike each other with their clawed paws in the head and neck area. The thicker the mane, the better it protects the lion and gives it a better chance of surviving without injury – it acts as a protective helmet.

Desert lion

Panthera Leo

Malkia

Soul and Queen of the Park

Date of birth

25.6.2013

Order

Carnivores

Family

Felidae

BODY LENGTH

male 2.7 m (90 cm tail) females are smaller

HEIGHT

90-120 cm

Weight

200-250 kg

LIFE EXPECTANCY

11-12 years, in captivity even double

LENGTH OF PREGNANCY

105-112 days

NUMBER OF YOUTHS

2-5

Occurrence

Africa

Food

wildebeest, zebras, impalas and other antelopes

Malkia

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Donation Total: €400,00

Our first rescued lioness Malkia gave the name and meaning to the whole project. Malkia means queen in Swahili. She was born in captivity to the previous owner’s lion parents, Leo and Elza. However, the mother rejected her and was condemned to the help of man. Although she was born with a broken tail, it certainly didn’t take away from her beauty and charm. In the wild, she might not survive with this handicap. As a cub she grew up with a golden retriever until Adelle, her younger sister, arrived and she lived happily in the same enclosure. Adelle left us forever on 2.3.2021. At the beginning of 2023 we managed to get Malkia together with a male Alex.

When keeping felines in human care, the general principle is that the older the animals get, the more difficult it can be to form a harmonious pair. It may seem that our animals are still young, but it should be remembered that in the wild lions this old are already in the last stage of their lives. The maximum age of a lion in the wild is around 10 years.

Lions are not solitary animals, so we didn’t want to leave Malkia alone either. We decided to create a new lion pair. We had three applicants (Kevin, Alex, Diego) for the next partner for Malkia. We gradually introduced her to each one through the bars and watched carefully the reactions of both animals. We noticed that the biggest spark jumped between Malkia and Alex. We started a longer process of introductions, we “housed” the animals next to each other, so they took turns in the enclosure, they could see each other, smell each other, but they couldn’t get to each other through the double mesh. We waited for Malkia to come into estrus, when the female is more friendly to the male, and on D-day we let the animals go to each other. Of course, lions are not romantics, so the first contact was not without theatrics and “teasing”, but in the end everything worked out well and the animals agreed on common rules.

However, we will not see any offspring, all our big felines are neutered because our breeding is not focused on producing offspring. Nevertheless, we believe that the creation of this pair was meaningful for both animals, who will have many nice moments in the future!

The lion is distinguished from other felids by its short, close-fitting, sand-coloured coat and the end of its tail, where it has long, darker fur. Already at first glance, sexual dimorphism, i.e. a marked difference between male and female, is visible. The male has a thick mane covering his head and neck. The colour and density of the mane inform about the age and health of the lion. Young males have a mostly light brown mane that darkens over time. Old males can be recognized by their very dark, almost black mane. The mane also has a vital function – when two males fight over females and territory, the males strike each other with their clawed paws in the head and neck area. The thicker the mane, the better it protects the lion and gives it a better chance of surviving without injury – it acts as a protective helmet.