2 new lions at Lincoln Park Zoo

Lincoln Park Zoo is now home to two new female lions.

The lions — called Zalika (za-leek-ah) and Kamali (kah-mal-ee).— are sisters, each 1 ½ years old and weighing about 160 pounds. They came to Chicago from the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Oregon.

They join Lincoln Park Zoo’s 5-year-old male lion, Sahar.

Mark Kamhout, the zoo’s curator of mammals, says the lions have been introduced to the zoo’s lion house via scent and visually over the past couple of weeks.

Lion populations have been declining throughout Africa. Lincoln Park Zoo works through the Serengeti Health Initiative to help conserve the species through a vaccination program in Tanzania.

Kamhout says the new lions will serve as “ambassadors” for conservation work with native lion habitats in Africa.