to 40,000 when the first Lion King came out, to around 20,000 today. Whereas lions were once dispersed throughout the African continent, they now occupy only 8 percent of their historic range.

Josh the lion, Birmingham’s own Lion King ... to identify a new male companion for Akili. Josh arrived in April 2022. In 2012, Akili’s offspring, the zoo’s five African lion cubs, left ...