About Sinbad

Name

Sinbad (Male)

Age

Sinbad was born in 2012. As of 2025, he is 13 years old.

Size

Sinbad is 164 pounds, measured with the brand new large-animal scale funded by the Zoo Idaho Zoological Society. This is similar to a 5½-foot human. He is larger than most mountain lions found in Idaho.

Back to Top

Sinbad's Rescue Story

Sinbad came to Zoo Idaho in 2021. He was 3½ months old when he was rescued in Montana after his mother was killed. He will not be rehabbed and released in the wild because he was rescued at such a young age.

Back to Top

Fun Facts About Sinbad

Favorite Activities

  • Sinbad LOVES tug of war! The keepers tie a knog on a rope and move it like a piñata from the top of his enclosure.
  • He loves to bat a ball around like a house cat.
  • He has been known to hunt and chase marmots and magpies that foolishly choose to come into his enclosure.

Fun Facts

  • Sinbad doesn't like large chunks of meat. He gags or refuses to eat it. His primary keeper makes sure his food is just right.
  • He has three different places with water in his enclosure but has no interest in swimming.
  • His enclosure is cleaned when he eats in his den for the keeper's safety. Sometimes he is fed at the edge of his enclosure by a keeper during training.
  • His upper right side canine tooth had to be removed.

Training Behaviors

  • He is used to people because he was rescued at such an early age. Training is used for brain stimulation but also for health checks.
  • Paw present – raising his paw to match the keeper's hand
  • Full-body present – laying on a platform with his tail out for blood draws
  • Target – touching a stress ball on a stick
Back to Top

Sinbad's Diet

Regular Foods

Sinbad eats ground meat, solid chunks of beef, vitamins, rodent items, and bones for tooth health once a week. Sometimes the food is hidden as a game for enrichment. He eats more in the winter. Sinbad is on a carnivore diet.

Favorite Foods

His favorite food is game meat like elk or rabbit.

Back to Top

How to See Sinbad

  • In the spring, Sinbad is easiest to see in the afternoons.
  • In the summer, he spends his mornings on the left side of his enclosure by the logs. He spends time in his dens when it is hot, as they are very cool.
  • Training is done in the afternoons.
Back to Top