Headaches all round in dating game
8 Apr 2011 Waikato Times
Djane and Malik lived side by side for months but their disastrous first date left both injured and one in surgery.
Wellington Zoo lion keepers were hopeful the pair would hit it off and with full bellies and the den to themselves, the scene was set for romance.
But sparks of the wrong kind flew when feisty Djane took on her potential beau and the resulting tussle left both cats bloodied.
Carnivore team leader Paul Horton said Djane had been asking for trouble and, five minutes into the encounter, the claws came out.
‘‘She got a bit too fiery, she didn’t really ‘get it’.
‘‘She just kept pushing and pushing him, and he tried to put her in line.’’
That backfired, with Djane giving Malik a swipe across the shoulder blades, leaving him with a deep gash.
Keepers were originally more worried for the lioness, who also suffered a cut to her foot in the fur-flying match, but her injury turned out to be minor when she was checked under anaesthesia.
Malik’s cut, on the other hand, required several stitches.
‘‘He’s lucky he’s got all that mane, she was really letting him have it.’’
Mr Horton said that, despite the fireworks, there would ‘‘absolutely’’ be a second date.
Lionesses Djane, Djembe and Zahra were used to being queens of their jungle before Malik and his brother, Zulu, arrived from Christchurch late last year.
‘‘The three girls used to be in with our old lion, Sam, and he was on the back burner. He was a very small, old male and he kept himself in check.’’
Sam died in 2006 and the lionesses had not had a stable male presence since.
Malik and Zulu have been living side by side with the lionesses since December, but separated by fencing to keep them from fighting.
It is hoped that once they get used to each other they will be able to live as one pride.
Among zoo visitors watching Malik have his wound treated was three-year old leukaemia sufferer Alexandria Anstis. Mother Louise Hight said the zoo trip was a highlight for her daughter, who wants to be a vet.
8 Apr 2011 Waikato Times
Djane and Malik lived side by side for months but their disastrous first date left both injured and one in surgery.
Wellington Zoo lion keepers were hopeful the pair would hit it off and with full bellies and the den to themselves, the scene was set for romance.
But sparks of the wrong kind flew when feisty Djane took on her potential beau and the resulting tussle left both cats bloodied.
Carnivore team leader Paul Horton said Djane had been asking for trouble and, five minutes into the encounter, the claws came out.
‘‘She got a bit too fiery, she didn’t really ‘get it’.
‘‘She just kept pushing and pushing him, and he tried to put her in line.’’
That backfired, with Djane giving Malik a swipe across the shoulder blades, leaving him with a deep gash.
Keepers were originally more worried for the lioness, who also suffered a cut to her foot in the fur-flying match, but her injury turned out to be minor when she was checked under anaesthesia.
Malik’s cut, on the other hand, required several stitches.
‘‘He’s lucky he’s got all that mane, she was really letting him have it.’’
Mr Horton said that, despite the fireworks, there would ‘‘absolutely’’ be a second date.
Lionesses Djane, Djembe and Zahra were used to being queens of their jungle before Malik and his brother, Zulu, arrived from Christchurch late last year.
‘‘The three girls used to be in with our old lion, Sam, and he was on the back burner. He was a very small, old male and he kept himself in check.’’
Sam died in 2006 and the lionesses had not had a stable male presence since.
Malik and Zulu have been living side by side with the lionesses since December, but separated by fencing to keep them from fighting.
It is hoped that once they get used to each other they will be able to live as one pride.
Among zoo visitors watching Malik have his wound treated was three-year old leukaemia sufferer Alexandria Anstis. Mother Louise Hight said the zoo trip was a highlight for her daughter, who wants to be a vet.
