Remembering Jonah

He was one of a kind, and today we’re saying goodbye. Our California sea lion Jonah passed away Thursday night at the age of 29. Over the past few days, he began showing signs of illness that, combined with age-related kidney disease, were too much for him to overcome. His care team was right by his side until the end — the same dedication they bring to all the wildlife in our care, every day. At nearly 30, Jonah exceeded the average lifespan of sea lions in human care, and the Houston Zoo was his home for nearly half his life. 

Jonah was found as an orphaned pup, severely underweight, and was rescued and then rehabilitated at two wildlife educational facilities in Northern California before moving to the Houston Zoo in 2013. 

It didn’t take long for Jonah to find his place with the two females, Kamia and Cali (who stayed his favorites). In 2016, he fathered TJ, and Max followed in 2017. TJ has Jonah’s same dark coloration and sweet disposition, while Max has his stubborn yet gentle personality. 

In early 2023, the colony of five moved across the way to the brand-new Galapagos Island habitat, where they met four new female sea lions, Gaia, Freya, Calypso, and Ariel. As the lone adult male, Jonah “should” have been the most dominant of the colony, but he was happy to have Kamia continue to run the show. He could still be found deep in the sea lion “cuddle puddle” acting as the group’s giant pillow. 

That enormous size also made him the most identifiable sea lion at the Zoo. At the peak of breeding season, Jonah could tip the scales at 575 pounds! 

Beloved by so many Houstonians and our own team alike, Jonah was part of the inspiration behind the Zoo’s Centennial Celebration imagery. He’s been on billboards at the airport, gone viral on TikTok, and had a children’s book written about him. Millions of people come to the Houston Zoo to see animals, thousands to see sea lions, and most of them left thinking about Jonah specifically. 

His keepers will miss him tremendously. He was patient and gentle with his care team — the largest animal in the colony and the one new trainers worked with first. But his gentle demeanor didn’t mean he didn’t have his quirks. Jonah taught himself that if his team wasn’t feeding him promptly, he would tap his back left flipper to let them know it was his turn. He certainly had them all wrapped around his flipper. As they said, “he was perfect in every way.”