Lions set to return to the Santa Barbara Zoo

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara Zoo announced on their social media on Friday that lions will soon be returning to the zoo grounds!

While not many details have been released, the Zoo did say they are expecting two new additions.

These two lions will be the first new arrivals since the previous lion couple passed away in 2017 and 2019.

Gingerbread, was a female geriatric African lion who lived to be over 18 years old and spent 13 of those years in Santa Barbara.

Gingerbread was sadly euthanized in February of 2017 after struggling with a prolonged illness.

Gingerbread's mate, Chadwick, was a 21-year-old male lion who had been at the Santa Barbara Zoo for about 17 years.

Chadwick was also euthanized in December of 2019 due to complications of old age.

While these passed lions are still dearly missed by the community, the arrival of two new lions is a welcome piece of excitement amid the zoo's closure during the pandemic.

For more information about the zoo and its response to COVID-19, visit their website www.sbzoo.org.

If you would like to donate to the zoo and help support its care for over 500 wild animals in need, visit their Donate page here.