Former MGM Lions living their best lives minutes from the Vegas Strip
HENDERSON, Nev. (KCTV) - On your next trip to Las Vegas, make sure to step away from the lights and sounds of the strip and get up close and personal with some amazing animals.
The Lion Habitat Ranch opened back in 1989 and acted as the home for the lions who were featured in the MGM Grand’s lion exhibit. The lions would be trucked in every day from the ranch to the hotel where keepers would go inside their enclosure to feed and play with the animals.
When the MGM Grand’s exhibit closed in 2012, the Lion Habitat Ranch opened to the public. Now, folks can come visit these incredible barbary lions in person at the ranch. That’s the only place they can be seen because this type of lion is extinct in the wild. MGM used the barbary lions because they were bigger, more muscular lions because of living in the colder climate of North Africa. Some of the lions at the sanctuary even share a direct lineage to “Leo the Lion” who was the lion that roared before every MGM film.
“Dan Marino behind me, Swifty our big lion at the Jeep area, the photo op at the front, those are kind of like the great-great-grandkids with that lion,” said Alex Mendonca, a keeper at Lion Habitat Ranch.
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At the ranch, the lions are living their best lives.
“So lions are very lazy. Lions are resting 18 to 21 hours a day here and in the wild,” said Mendonca.
When they’re not resting or eating, the lions are getting enrichment. Winston the Lion had the task of choosing the Super Bowl winner today. Luckily, he picked the Chiefs.
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The ranch also takes care of other animals from different zoos and pet surrenders.
“Ozzie our giraffe came to us from Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Wichita, Kansas. Male giraffes are mostly solitary in the wild, so they have to have a lot of space and we had that space to accommodate him. He is the smartest giraffe I’ve ever met, and he is the handsomest giraffe in the entire state of Nevada.”
Ozzie also has a creative side, and paints shirts. Guests can also hand-feed Ozzie, but there is reason why the ranch is so hands-on with this animal.
“You know we love to make sure that everybody gets up and close with Ozzie, because giraffes are actually undergoing a silent extinction in the wild. So, he’s here as an animal ambassador to make sure people can help us spread the word that we want these guys to be in the wild for as long as possible,” said Mendonca.
Conservation is a big piece of the Lion Habitat Ranch’s mission. Bringing awareness to situations facing different animals can help them not meet the fate of the barbary lion.
“So just coming in to visit us, doing a behind-the-scenes tour with us. Feeding our animals like Ozzie, you can even feed our lions. It all goes back to helping out.”
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