Keystone Safari remembers rare lion as fan favorite
Even without its signature lion, Keystone Safari is still full of pride.
The safari’s oldest Barbary lion, Cash, died peacefully in his sleep May 4 at 19 years old. He was raised at its sister park Living Treasures Wild Animal Park in Slippery Rock Township, Lawrence County, and moved to Keystone Safari when it opened in 2018.
“That is extremely old for a large cat,” said Hailey Huff, the safari’s Animal Care Manager and Park Manager. “Most only live to about 15 or so.”
The Barbary lion has been extinct in the wild since the 1920s, according to Britannica. Cash left behind other Barbary lions at the safari, including his mate June, who is 19, and cubs Nala and Simba, who are 7 and 6 years old, respectively. When they were born, Huff said Cash and June carried them proudly through the enclosure, showing them off to the public.
The safari does not have plans to purchase another lion.
Huff said Simba was born around the release of the live-action version of “The Lion King,” leading to his name. Cash and June were named after Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.
Cash and June only mated with each other, so their cubs’ genes are pure Barbary. Unlike an African lion, the Barbary males have a deeper, darker mane that reaches under their belly.
June has had other cubs, but they were sent to other zoos to preserve the Barbary lineage.
Cash was usually a calm lion, Huff said. He slept about 20 hours per day but would run around his enclosure and play with his ball when he felt a short burst of energy, similar to a house cat. Cash was very social and often laid next to the enclosure’s glass, closest to the humans watching him.
“The kids loved that of course, and everybody else did, too,” Huff said.
She said the safari would hear from neighbors that the sound of Cash’s roar could be heard from a couple of miles away. He would commonly roar in the morning after leaving his den, making sure the other animals knew “he’s top dog.”
“So if he would really get going, he would start roaring, our female would, then it would kick into our hyenas, and everybody would be doing it,” Huff said.
With the safari’s attempts to expand each year, Cash saw several animals and enclosures introduced like the safari’s ostrich and zebra in the driving portion. Even though carnivores aren’t permitted in the driving portion, Cash was king over there, too.
“We’re always thinking of adding different animals or shifting animals around to give a new feel throughout the park,” Huff said.
The safari’s animal care staff sets out food and enrichment activities before letting them out of their den each morning. Like humans, the animals have varying attitudes and behaviors different enrichment activities may bring out.
The staff has no physical contact with the lions, meaning any cleaning and refilling of food is done while they’re in a separate area.
Scent enrichments were Cash’s favorite, Huff said. In the winter, animal care staff would set out Christmas trees for the lions and sometimes add small amounts of catnip and herbs. Cash would quickly claim one by rubbing all over it and covering himself in its scent. Other times, staff would set up meat Popsicles hidden in straw or boxes Cash would need to dig through or break open to access.
Huff said the staff enjoyed seeing the community support behind Cash and Keystone Safari after its Facebook post announcing his passing. Previous guests posted photos and videos in the comments of their experience interacting with Cash at the safari.
“It shows us that people are as invested in this park as we are,” Huff said.
The safari also operates as a Zoo Disaster Relief Fund network facility. If a zoo experiences a natural disaster, it can reach out to other facilities in the network for funding, help rebuilding and temporarily relocating animals to other zoos. The safari keeps some extra space in case another zoo must send an animal, and Huff said staff previously visited a smaller Florida zoo in the network to help rebuild after a hurricane.
“We like to be very involved in it and get our donations up as much as possible,” Huff said.
