'Gentle Giant' Lion Celebrates 19th Birthday

A lion described as a “gentle giant” celebrated his 19th birthday on March 26 at Adelaide Zoo in South Australia with some special treats.

Video shows Mujambi the African lion playing with his presents, which were decorated by zoo staff.

“Despite his stature and his 165 kilograms in weight, he is a gentle giant and slightly under the paw of companion lioness Amani,” the zoo’s assistant curator of carnivores and ungulates, Chad Crittle, said.

Before Mujambi coupled up with Amani he suffered from seizures and also survived testicular cancer, the zoo said.

According to the African Wildlife Foundation African Lions can live up to 18 years in the wild, but both Mujambi and Amani have lived beyond that expectancy at 19 and 22-years-old, respectively. Credit: Adelaide Zoo via Storyful

Video transcript

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