The new Landon & Cynthia Knight Pride of Africa experience, which opens Saturday, June 29, at the Akron Zoo, will reflect the beauty and mystery of the savannas of Kenya. Guests will learn about the delicate balance of life on Africa’s Southern Rift — the land of regal African lions, grass-eaters like Speke’s gazelles, large birds like storks, and the native Maasai of Kenya.
Predators, prey and a special Maasai livestock enclosure, called a boma, will be on display.
Pride of Africa will include a new, expanded African lion habitat, with room for a pride of lions, a habitat for white storks and Speke’s gazelles — a new addition to the Akron Zoo. The boma will feature goats, and continue to offer a feeding experience for guests.
Guests also will enjoy an expanded train ride through the plains of Africa, catching glimpses of lions, gazelles and more. The new spray pad will give visitors an opportunity to cool down in the heat, while learning more about the clean water crisis in Africa.
Saturday’s Grand Opening event takes place from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Special activities are planned throughout the day:
- Pick-Up Stix: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
- Kent State University African Ensemble: various performance times
- Costume characters (provided by Imaginos Productions LLC): 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Rebuilding the Pride
Akron Zoo is partnering with Rebuilding the Pride, an African coalition addressing socioeconomic and ecological threats to the Southern Rift communities. Priorities include understanding and fostering traditional Maasai herding practices, while sustaining an ecologically-healthy predator/prey relationship in the region.
Lions in the Serengeti region of Africa are especially endangered. In fact, the population has dwindled to only half of what it was in 1950. Today in the Maasai pridelands, there are estimated 65 surviving lions.
The new lion habitat will allow the Akron Zoo to one day host a breeding pair — specifically selected to preserve and strengthen the gene pool of surviving African lions as part as the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan.
For more information, visit akronzoo.org.