Barbary lion at Neuwied zoo

\'Schröder\' one of the Barbary lion males at Neuwied zoo

Beautiful lion even if it is almost certainly not a "Barbary lion"

They are from the Barbary lion breeding program. So yes it is. Parents from Rabat.

@Animal So you believe that the Barbary lion still exists?

They are as pure as Przewalski's horses. Somewhere in the linage were a few wrong animals, but they are the best chance we have. The line from Rabat is highly inbred, but for that matter very pure. They look distinctly different to other lions.
So better save what we have and not let these fantastic creatures die out, just because one or two lions in the past were the wrong subspecies. If we did so, we might loose other animals too! (I am looking at you, Amurleopard!)

@Animal Hmmmm not sure I agree with you on the issue of Barbary lion purity but interesting comment.

So what information do you have about the animals from Rabat?

@Animal Enough to have influenced my view that the "Barbary" lion being extant in the 21st century is a myth, how about you?

I have the information by the colleagues that work on the breeding program and were in place in Rabat to make tests etc.
And still: If you say the Barbary lion is gone, so are the Przewalski's horses then.

@Animal Simon Black I presume ?

Yeah , I don't buy it at all, sorry for my frankness but I think there are far more worthy causes in conservation for actual extant species and populations that are far more deserving of all the funding that has been flushed down the toilet on "Barbary" lions over the years.