ROYAL OAK, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Simba is saying goodbye to the Detroit Zoo.

Zoo officials announced that the lion is moving to the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, after more than a decade in Michigan.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums recommended the transfer "to support the sustainability of a healthy, genetically diverse and demographically varied lion population in zoos," according to a news release.

Officials say Simba fathered a cub named Binti.

"Though we will miss him dearly, we know he will receive the highest level of care in his new home and continue to be a fantastic ambassador for African lions in the wild," the zoo said.