Suburban Phoenix Wildlife World Zoo welcomes new faces

PHOENIX — The Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium continues its 30-year anniversary celebration with the addition of several animals at its safari park.

The Litchfield Park zoo has added a white African lion, the only one in the Southwest, the zoo said, as well as olive baboons and jackals.

The young female lion will be out for people to see from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Over the next year or so, zoo workers will introduce the lion to a pair of older lions that share the same exhibit. The white lions are different than Albino lions, and are very rare. Their breed has died off significantly because of habitat destruction, lack of food, and human conflict.

The olive baboons are dog-like in appearance with a longer snout, and prefer to walk on all fours. They can weigh up to 100 pounds and can be found in all types of habitats from dry grasslands to rain forests. These are the first baboons in the zoo’s 30-year history.

African jackals prey on small animals and plants and are most common to grasslands.

Zoo hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; the aquarium is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.