In pictures: Endangered big cats to get £5.2 million enclosure at London Zoo
By Alix Culbertson
The zoo's Asiatic lions will be able to roam freely around the 27,000 sq
ft enclosure in a bid to breed more to help the world's dwindling
population of just 400
Lioness Abi will be one of the lucky Asiatic lions to benefit from the new enclosure
London Zoo is just weeks away from building a £5.2 million enclosure for one of the world’s most endangered big cats.
Land of the Lions will open in spring 2016 at the ZSL zoo in Regent’s Park
to provide ultra-modern facilities for a breeding group of endangered Asiatic lions, of which only 400 remain in the world.
Initial work will start at the beginning of November on the 2,500 sq m
(27,00 sq ft) enclosure which is fives times the size of the previous
one and is expected to take 16 months to complete.
Land of the Lions is part of Lions400, the Zoological Society of
London’s (ZSL) public fundraising campaign which also supports ZSL’s
international projects to protect wild Asiatic lions in the Gir Forest
in India.
Asiatic lions are particularly vulnerable to the threats of disease
and conflict with humans as there is such a tiny population remaining in
a small pocket of forest.
ZSL work with the Gujurat government and Wildlife Institute of India to safeguard the lions’ futures.
Visitors to the new exhibit will be able to see how closely humans
and lions live in the Gir Forest as they go through an Indian village
and through to the lions’ den where they can be seen with a 360° view.
An aerial view of the Land of the Lions enclosure.
Cat naps are essential
and Asiatic lions sleep for up to 16 hours a day so visitors will be
able to see them enjoying a nap in their custom built lion hotel.
An aerial view of the Land of the Lions enclosure.
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