A Little Lion’s Tale
The story of how I chose the name for a baby lion at our zoo
Once upon a time (actually, on November 14, 2017), three baby lion cubs were born at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa. Now this was truly a momentous occasion because it was the first time in thirty – thirty! – years that this had happened at this particular zoo.
And it was also the first time that the dad and mom lions (a/k/a Deuce and Neema) had become parents.
This story begins back in 2012 when the African lion, Deuce, became the first lion to make a home at the Ghrist Great Cats Center at the Blank Park Zoo. He hung out on his own as a happy bachelor until, to his pleasant surprise, the sister lions Neema and Kadi arrived in 2017. Well. This changed things. Deuce enjoyed having new friends, and in fact, he and Neema became such good friends that they had three little lion cubs together.
This was also a momentous occasion in the world because African lions are a vulnerable species: Less than 40% of the 2012 wild population remains. A hundred years ago there were maybe 200,000 African lions and today there are approximately 23,000. Thankfully, the survival rates of African lions are on the rise because African wildlife preserves and programs at zoos (such as the Blank Park Zoo) are working to protect these gorgeous animals.
Now, these new little lion cubs were just so precious – two girls and a boy. But their parents were having a difficult time deciding what to name them. So many cubs and so many glorious names to choose from. So, as you know, when you just aren’t quite sure what to do and find yourself in a pickle, you ask your friends for help. After much consideration, Deuce and Neema decided to ask people who loved the zoo, and really loved those cubs, to help them find appropriate names for their treasured babies.
This then became a momentous occasion for me… because I got to choose the name for the male lion cub! I know! The Zoo, on behalf of Deuce and Neema, asked people to submit name recommendations for these new babies, and this is how it worked: After making a specified-amount donation to the Zoo (which I do yearly anyway), one could submit a name suggestion for one of the lion cubs. The Zoo folks then narrowed down those submissions to a few for each cub and released them to the public so they could be voted on. Being a cat lover and owner all my life (see the proof in my story here), and being absolutely smitten with those cubs, I so wanted to name one of them that I entered three times – once for each cub - hoping my odds would be pretty good.
But…I did not want to just pick any old name out of the sky, so I did my research first. I studied African names and words, taking careful notes and learning how to pronounce those names and words correctly. But most importantly, I wanted to know the meaning behind those African names. I wanted something that was exceptional but also had deep meaning for those stunning lions. I came up with a few, but for the male cub my favorite name was Jabari, which means The Brave One. I loved it – I loved how it sounded, and I loved what it meant. I thought it was the perfect name for this male lion cub that I was just certain would grow to become magnificent and brave. (You may be wondering what names I chose for the two females, and I am sorry to say that I cannot remember. That was eight years ago, and I guess I’ve had a lot of things come and go through the revolving door of my brain since then. But I do think their given names of Kali, which means Fierce, and Asha, which means Life, are just perfect.)
So I submitted the names and crossed my fingers. And then the phone call came letting me know that the name Jabari had been selected for the male cub. I could not believe it. I was so excited! So excited! I kept thinking…. really? I really got to name him? Did I make that up? But then confirmation arrived in the mail in the form of an official naming certificate stating that Jabari had been named by Connie Taylor on January 19, 2018. I was so thrilled and so honored that the name Jabari had been chosen for this extraordinary baby lion.
The cubs were kept in seclusion for several weeks as they bonded with their parents and each other, waiting for their eyes to open, their legs to become steady, and their curiosity to push them out to explore the world around them. But once it was announced that the public would actually be able to meet these sweet baby cats, I could not get into the car fast enough. I know that you know that on the first day possible, I was at that zoo to see Jabari and his sisters. And no surprise - It was love at first sight. I adored him immediately.
As Jabari grew, I made plenty of trips across town to see him at the Zoo. I could stand at the edge of the lion exhibit for hours just watching him. My husband and our twin grandchildren would go with me, and Jabari just became part of the family. We would get to the Zoo and head right over to see what he was up to that day. Would we be lucky enough to hear him roar? Or would he just be snoozing in the sun? Maybe he’d be sitting on his favorite big rock, staring right at us. We couldn’t wait to see him and tell him how gorgeous he was. Yes, I talked to my lion. Right out loud. All the time.
As the years went by – way too fast - Jabari became a stunningly beautiful adult lion. Males can weigh up to 500 pounds and measure up to 8 feet long, with Jabari coming in at an impressive 470 pounds. Seeing as how he started out as the runt of the litter at under three pounds, he grew to be as amazing as I knew he would be.
But because lion life is what it is (and I tried to hide from this fact until the words were staring me in the face via a Zoo newsletter) I knew that Jabari’s days at the Blank Park Zoo were numbered. There just wasn’t room in the pride for two males. Despite my desperate hope that Jabari’s father, Deuce, would find a new home, I knew deep down that it would be Jabari who would be moving away. And sure enough, in the fall of 2021 my beloved Jabari left the Blank Park Zoo to start his own pride at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. I was devastated. My husband, our twin grandchildren, and I made one last trip to our zoo to see him off, and I cried the entire time. My grandchildren did too, but wanting to help them feel better (and in the process help myself feel better) I became the brave one as I explained to them how Jabari would be happier having his own space and his own family in a big, luxurious lion compound in Chicago, where he would be the mane…I mean main…male lion. (His sisters, Asha and Kali, also left our zoo at that same time and found a new home together at the Africa-Okavango Delta in the Norfolk Zoo in Norfolk, VA.)
So off he went to get settled in at the Pepper Family Wildlife Center at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. It’s an amazing facility, and if I were a lion, I think I would like it very much. He was soon joined by lionesses Zari, Hasira, and Cleo.
Jabari and Zari hit it off right away, becoming parents almost immediately (on March 17, 2022) to male lion cub Pilipili, (his name means Pepper in Swahili in honor of the Pepper family) and this, too, became a momentous occasion, as he was the first African lion cub born at the Lincoln Park Zoo in twenty years. Zari giving birth to Pilipili was part of the African Lion Species Survival Plan® (SSP), a collaborative population management effort across Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited institutions working to save this species.
And just as I had told the twins (and myself), it turns out that Jabari did become quite happy in his new home. To quote a member of the lion care team at the Lincoln Park Zoo, “He has proven himself as a patient, inquisitive, and playful member of the pride. When Pilipili was about a month old, Jabari did his best impression of a playground slide as Pilipili would climb up his back and slide down his sides.” I just knew he would continue on to be gorgeous, and incredible…. and a greathearted lion dad.
Evidently wishing for an even larger happy lion family, on January 9, 2023, Zari once again gave birth, this time to three little male cubs. The names of those lion cubs are Pesho (pe-sho), Sidai (see-dye), and Lomelok (low-mey-lock) which all have their own special meanings in the Maa language: Pesho translates to An Unexpected Gift, while Sidai means Good, and Lomelok means Sweet.
I really don’t want to have to do this, but I’m very sad to tell you that mobility issues were discovered with little Lomelok once he was able to walk, and he had to undergo surgery to address a herniated disc. Then Lomelok was diagnosed with (using the official words from the Zoo here) “a conformational narrowing (stenosis) of the channels that carry nerves from the spinal cord to the legs and this compresses the nerves.” Despite all the best efforts, I was heartbroken to hear that he left us on June 1, 2024. I know things happen in the animal world, but that doesn’t mean they don’t break my heart. I had been so hopeful that the determination and good care he received from the team at the Zoo would save him, but it was not to be.
But lion life does go on, and as this story continues, Jabari is living happily ever after in his new home in Chicago. He is stunningly beautiful, gentle, and brings such joy to everyone who sees him. I cannot say how proud and humbled I am that I was able to choose a name for this amazing lion. And even though he is no longer here at our zoo, he is always in my heart where, to me, he will always be my lion.
Thank you, Wini. It really was such an honor. I just love him!
I'm so excited to read the details of this magnificent story here. What an amazing connection to such a beautiful lion.