Losing a mane attraction: Winnipeg zoo's rare lions moving to England
Bhanu and Kamal arrived in Winnipeg in spring 2012 from Germany's Zoologischer Garten Magdeburg
They will roar no more at Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo.
The zoo's rare Asiatic lions, twin brothers Bhanu and Kamal, are heading to zoological facilities in England. The move is being made on the recommendation of the European Endangered Species Program (EEP), which is hoping to breed the lions.
Bhanu will move to the London Zoo on Feb. 24 and Kamal will be transferred to the Chessington Zoo in mid-March. Both facilities are home to female Asiatic lions.
"They're going to meet some young ladies over there," said Jacquie Coleman, the head zookeeper for the lions since they arrived in Winnipeg in the spring of 2012 from the Zoologischer Garten Magdeburg in Germany.
The EEP is the European counterpart of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Program (SSP) and facilitates breeding programs for species that urgently need to be conserved and protected in the wild.
"We know that the lions are a visitor favourite, and while we're sad to see them go, this is an important part of species survival and helping save endangered species," said Gary Lunsford, head of zoological operations in Winnipeg.
It has taken almost 100 years for the Asiatic lion — a subspecies of the African lion but with a shorter mane so the ears are always visible — to climb back from the brink of extinction. They were "critically endangered" in 1918 when there were just 19 left in the world, Coleman said.
There are now 200 to 260 in the wild, living in India's Gir Forests, where they are heavily protected, the Assiniboine Park Conservancy says. Another 200 of the lions live in zoos worldwide.
Coleman will escort the brothers on their journey, to help them transition to their new homes, and promises to check in on them "all the time" by calling the zoos and finding out how they're adapting.
The public is invited to visit the Winnipeg zoo this weekend to say goodbye to the lions. Zookeeper talks are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday so visitors can learn more about the cats.
There is no word yet on what will take the exhibit space left vacant when Bhanu and Kamal leave.
"We're currently working on potential options for the exhibit space, and we'll be sure to keep the public informed of what new and exciting changes will be coming in the near future," Lunsford said.