tunya came to the sfzoo in 1997 with amanzi, an unrelated female. a month later they were joined by kita. the three of them came to the zoo, as sort of a lion pride for the future, as the remaining lions were seniors. while still cubs, the three of them lived in the enclosure that padang is in now. tunya fathered jahari and kimani with kita, but because of a health issue can not breed again. he lives with his daughter kimani, most often in the first big cat grotto.
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What can I say about Tunya? I adore this gorgeous guy. A few months ago I had a tattoo done on my forearm of a photo I had taken of him. He is truly regal, truly the King of Beasts and just a great grotto mate for Kimani. It's awesome/pawsome to be in his presence and to see him catnapping with Kimani, paw to paw. Usually around 10:20am he wakes up from his first nap to do his little territory roar and then naps again. I love it!!!
ReplyDeleteTunya is the cat that made me love the zoo... He is gorgeous and hilarious all in one. He roars at the same time every morning...and sometimes while he is still laying down,lol...He just is awesome and truly makes my
ReplyDeletedocent shift worthwhile. When I get to the zoo, my first thing is to hurry on up and see the Big Cats, Tunya is usually the first one I see. He's a charmer for sure!!!