ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2024
- Thread starter Rosie183
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Karishma and Elizabeth are off to Chester Zoo next year as part of a breeding programme…
Source?
If confirmed, probably best for all parties. Chester get a potentially new matriarchal line (despite Karishma’s breeding issues) whilst Whipsnade avoid any potential future conflict and separation issues within the group.
Not surprising news (if true), considering it's been of heavy discussion as of late within this thread. Chester need new cows, and this pair seem the obvious candidates.
Karishma and Elizabeth are both valuable cows and Elizabeth will hopefully have the opportunity to breed down the line alongside Chester's only reproductive age cow, Indali, who is of the same age.
It would also explain why the pair have been seen separated - perhaps in preparation for this move.
Karishma and Elizabeth being Celebes crested macaques?
Asian Elephants
One of the keepers told me when I was up there last week…..
As said on here, there’s been some friction in the herd and it just makes sense all round
As said on here, there’s been some friction in the herd and it just makes sense all round
Three lion cubs were born in November. Absolutely fantastic news!
Three Northern African lion cubs born at Whipsnade Zoo | Whipsnade Zoo
Three Northern African lion cubs born at Whipsnade Zoo | Whipsnade Zoo
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Great news! It’s been great seeing the new pride established and to look forward to many years for this group at Whipsnade. There was a lot of mating going on and it’s been good to see how quickly all the group settled together. It’s only a couple of years since the last of the old pride died at this time of year so seeing a new group start to grow again is a genuinely lovely moment.
Will be fun to see them as they go outside in the New Year - with the early year closing they will be able to have some of their start in the enclosure with less people around.
Yeah really looking forward to seeing them!
All things come to an end, but this was an incredibly sad and somewhat darkly drawn-out end to Spike’s Pride.
Personally, I’m very pleased by this news though wasn’t expecting it to happen so quickly! Clearly Malik’s beefed up enough substantially from when I last saw him!
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Agree, Neo went first of the last three left (he looked poor in that November) and then Max and Kia pts together at the end. It was really very sad to see them go.
It is great to see a new pride forming and Whipsnade staying in the African lion. I think Malik is going to be one of those really impressive male lions - he has really muscled up, though he still has something of a starter mane!
Lafone
Well-Known Member
It's Winta there's a nice video of her with the cubs at the link @ajmcwhipsnade posted
Three Northern African lion cubs born at Whipsnade Zoo | Whipsnade Zoo
The BBC have also released a video of Whipsnade's new lion cubs; see link below.
First African lion cubs born at Whipsnade Zoo in 17 years
"Three African lion cubs have been born at a Bedfordshire zoo for the first time in seventeen years.
Their parents, three-year-old lioness Winta, and three-year-old dad Malik, arrived at Whipsnade Zoo from zoos in Belgium and Germany last year.
Before that, Whipsnade had been without lions since early 2022, after two lions had to be euthanised for age related conditions.
The cubs, which were born on 25 November, will be named when they are eight weeks old, after they have had their first vet check which will confirm their genders.
According to Whipsnade, the three cubs were part of a Northern African lion subspecies, that was first identified in 1758 but only officially confirmed in 2017 by scientific studies.
Sarah McGregor, team leader of predators at Whipsnade Zoo, said: "It's been 17 years since we last had African lion cubs at Whipsnade, so these three new additions really are something special for us.
"Their arrival is not only very exciting, but an especially important boost to the conservation breeding programme for these amazing big cats." "
First African lion cubs born at Whipsnade Zoo in 17 years
"Three African lion cubs have been born at a Bedfordshire zoo for the first time in seventeen years.
Their parents, three-year-old lioness Winta, and three-year-old dad Malik, arrived at Whipsnade Zoo from zoos in Belgium and Germany last year.
Before that, Whipsnade had been without lions since early 2022, after two lions had to be euthanised for age related conditions.
The cubs, which were born on 25 November, will be named when they are eight weeks old, after they have had their first vet check which will confirm their genders.
According to Whipsnade, the three cubs were part of a Northern African lion subspecies, that was first identified in 1758 but only officially confirmed in 2017 by scientific studies.
Sarah McGregor, team leader of predators at Whipsnade Zoo, said: "It's been 17 years since we last had African lion cubs at Whipsnade, so these three new additions really are something special for us.
"Their arrival is not only very exciting, but an especially important boost to the conservation breeding programme for these amazing big cats." "
Clearly the zoo are confident enough to state it, but is there such a thing as a pure bloodline of Northern African lion in zoo stock? Incidentally, a quick internet search diverts to Barbary!
Barbary Lions were well conserved within zoos and they make up the bulk of the Northern lion breeding program, additional members were used with Nestor being of the west and central sub species with the old Taxonomy. These members were tested with genome data to check purity. If i'm not mistaken Nestor wasn't 100% pure but somewhere between 85-95% pure so well within hybridization zone standard. The breeding program is fine and managed using genetics. Although people like to discuss the validity of switching the taxonomy to 2 sub species. But the lions used in the program aren't the generic zoo lions.
Depends on your taxonomy..! 'Northern African Lion' would include most of the African range in the latest.