Feb 07, 2024

Second lion exhibit nearing completion at Great Bend zoo

Posted Feb 07, 2024 6:00 PM
A second lion exhibit is nearly finished so all three lions can be on display at the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo.
A second lion exhibit is nearly finished so all three lions can be on display at the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo.

By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post

Sometimes you can’t force friendship.

Two young female lions were brought in from Florida in 2016 to form a pride with Luke, the remaining male lion at the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo. After years of unsuccessfully trying to get the lions to be friendly toward each other, zookeepers decided to keep the lions separate in 2021 and have them take turns in the yard.

Last summer work began to create a second exhibit so all the lions could be viewed. Great Bend Administrator Brandon Anderson said work is nearly complete on the exhibit features.

"We're just waiting on the public fencing to go in, and we'll put some new sidewalks in," said Anderson. "We're really excited about that. The public will be able to fully see all of our lions on the new display."

Luke is 10 years old and the two female lions are six years old.