Deuce, the male lion at Blank Park Zoo. (Photo contributed by Chris Eckles/Blank Park Zoo)
Conservation issues surrounding African lions might seem far off and incomprehensible to many Iowans who have only ever caught a glimpse of lions like Deuce and Zarina at Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines.
Chris Eckles, the chief engagement officer at Blank Park Zoo who is working with other zoos in the country on a new project to connect with lion conservation groups in Africa, said the considerations and tactics for saving lions are similar to those involving vulnerable animals in Iowa and the nation.
“Even though it seems like a faraway problem, I always try to find that way to relate it back where we are,” Eckles said. “We don’t have lions in our backyard, but we definitely have predators that come through and … how do we react to that and what are we doing for our own natural environment?”
Recently the zoo was awarded a grant from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums as part of the Saving Animals From Extinction, or SAFE, program. The grant supports collaboration with organizations in Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya as they figure out how to protect lions populations, which have declined by 75% over the past 50 years.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums awarded nearly $165,000 for eight projects that will advance efforts of saving animals at risk of extinction.
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Eckles said Blank Park Zoo participates in a number of SAFE programs for the conservation of red pandas, monarch butterflies, songbirds, giraffes and other endangered species that are also housed at the zoo.
The SAFE program partners AZA accredited zoos and their audiences to implement recovery and conservation plans for animal species across the world. Eckles said a portion of every purchase made by Blank Park Zoo visitors goes towards the conservation projects.
“When people come to the zoo they’re helping us with lion conservation,” Eckles said. “We want people to understand (the animals) are not just here just for us — they’re here for us to learn and connect with. That hopefully, will connect us to the bigger world.”
The zoo will have a big cats day February 8 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and staff will talk about the lion conservation project, the tigers, snow leopard and other big cat topics to zoo visitors. Eckles said the new lion enclosure, expected to break ground this spring and open in 2026, will also have signage up about the lion conservation project for visitors to see.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, lions are a vulnerable species that will become endangered without conservation efforts.
The SAFE lions project is a partnership between Blank Park Zoo, Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot, North Dakota and the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden in Ohio, which Eckles said is leading the project.
The project is in the early stages, according to Eckles, and partners are mostly gathering information and making connections to three organizations, WASIMA in Tanzania, Wildlife Conservation Action in Zimbabwe and South Rift Association of Landowners in southern Kenya.
Eckles explained the AZA zoo staff partnering on the project will mostly act as mediators between the organizations in Africa, to help them share ideas, systems and plans and then be a support system to their work.
“Saving wildlife and wild places is a responsibility that we all share,” AZA president and CEO Dan Ashe said in a press release about the grant awardees. “The Conservation Grants Fund is not only a powerful tool for turning innovative ideas into conservation action, but it also unites experts from AZA-accredited facilities, conservation organizations, research institutions and local communities.”
Eckles said the biggest threats to lion populations are loss of habitat and human involvement, usually because a lion causes issues with livestock producers or by entering into an environment it’s not meant to be.
“I love lions, I want to see them thrive, but I have to take a step back and say it’s more about the people that are living around those lions and some of those are the people I really have to care about,” Eckles said.
While she hopes the efforts of this program will ultimately help save lions, many of those solutions will have to come from supporting the people who live around the lions. She said the same is true about conservation work in Iowa.
“I think that’s really important when we think about conservation work,” Eckles said. “How do we work together as people and to help wildlife? When we work together, we can do a lot more than if we try to work alone or in silos or point fingers.”
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