A New Lion Has Arrived at Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, Texas

Awful April

April 2022 was a very sad time at Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin. In the course of 17 days, two African lions were lost. On April 5th, Mashaka died, then on April 22nd, his mate Adia passed away...some would say from a broken heart.

Surviving Mashaka and Adia was Ashur, their son.

Welcome to the Pineywoods, Axelle!

According to an article by Jess Huff at the Lufkin Daily News, Ellen Trout Zoo has a new lion.

Axelle is a 7 1/2-year-old lion who arrived in Deep East Texas a few weeks ago. She comes to Ellen Trout Zoo by way of the San Antonio Zoo. Axelle was born and raised in the Alamo City and was matched to Ashur by way of the Species Survival Plan. This program helps endangered species repopulate without the risk of inbreeding.

Let's Not Rush Things

Although the ultimate plan is for Axelle and Ashur to become mates and continue the 'Circle of Life', keepers at the zoo are in no rush to push their introduction.

Currently, the goal is for Axelle to get familiar and comfortable with her new accommodations and zookeepers. Then, once that is successfully accomplished, Axelle and Ashur will be allowed to catch glimpses of each other.

If all goes well, then they will be closely monitored as they will be introduced into the same enclosure.

All that needs to take place before Axelle gets introduced to the public. So, it's still going to be a while before we get to meet our newest addition.

Read Jess Huff's article for a more in-depth look at our new lioness.