'The roar is back' at the Great Plains Zoo as Simba, the lion, arrives

The king of the jungle has arrived.

Simba, a male African lion who has lived at the Detroit Zoo for more than a decade, has now made it to the Great Plains Zoo, the Sioux Falls facility announced on Memorial Day Monday. The transfer is thanks to a partnership between The Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the two zoos. It's the first time a lion has been at the zoo in 30 years.

"He'll arrive at our zoo to begin acclimating to his new surroundings and care team," Great Plains Zoo staff wrote May 10 in a Facebook post. "This is a process that cannot be rushed, as the wellbeing, safety, and comfort of our animals is our top priority."

Simba, once owned by the royal family of Qatar, first arrived at the Detroit Zoo in October 2012, according to The Detroit News.

The AZA recommended the move to support the sustainability of a healthy, genetically diverse and demographically varied lion population in zoos.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, African lions, though not currently endangered, are considered "vulnerable" to extinction, with only an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 wild lions left in the wild.

"Transporting animals is a big job, and we are so thankful to everyone who helped make Simba's journey and arrival so smooth," the zoo wrote on Facebook. "We are THRILLED the roar is back at Great Plains Zoo."

The Great Plains Zoo is also working with AZA to bring a recommended lionness to the zoo as a potential mate for Simba. A date for when that mate may arrive has not yet been determined, but before the two share an exhibit, they will each need to go through the process of acclimating to their environments and to each other.

A date for when Simba will be viewable by the public also has not yet been announced.