Thanks for posting this Mr. Wrinkly. Helps to compare the boys manes. I'm not certain who has more hair or if they are equal right now. Give it a couple of weeks though and you will have a clear winner Im sure as our young fella continues to mature. He's going to be one handsome animal.
Thanks for posting this Mr. Wrinkly. Helps to compare the boys manes. I'm not certain who has more hair or if they are equal right now. Give it a couple of weeks though and you will have a clear winner Im sure as our young fella continues to mature. He's going to be one handsome animal.
I would have guessed if they are both neutered (which seems to be a bit flimsy about what of the two operations has been done), that the left one was sterilized (cut the vas deferens) so it still has a mane and the right one castrated (removed the testicles). Castrated males don't produce the hormone any more that is needed for a mane.
I can understand why you would castrate one of two males, because they would stop fight if a female is around, but I don't get why to sterilize one (or even two of them) if they are not in the same enclosure with the female, because it would not change behavior, just the ability to reproduce. But two males alone rarely reproduce
Sorry, TZFan. Last night I did not realize which males you were comparing. This morning it is clear!
Animal, I have only heard keepers talk of them being neutered and thyroid problems for one. Don't know which surgery either had. Jerroh(right) had an infection and Lindy(left) was fighting with his father as he got older, so probably your reasoning about the surgeries was correct. I don't think the zoo had plans to bring in another female.
Sorry Mr. Wrinkly for not being clear enough. I assumed you put the picture up so I could compare Lindy and Fintan's manes in response to my comment on arcticwolf's picture of the white lions. I should have been clearer and not just assumed.
I believe both were neutered to keep the peace with dad Rowdy. They intended to keep the boys with their parents as a single pride. Unfortunately it didnt work and Lindy and Rowdy just couldn't get along. The thyroid issue could be why Jerroh never started to develop a mane while his brother did.
I agree with Mr. Wrinkly I dont think the zoo ever intended on getting a female for the boys. The zoo probably did a foolish thing when they bred Nokanda and Rowdy in the first place. Nokanda was a white lion while Rowdy was a regular African Lion. They couldnt get a male white to go with Nokanda so they paired her with Rowdy. Their cubs were valueless. They boys couldnt be part of either breeding program. The zoo got lucky and their older brother Simba was taken by Parc Safari in Quebec but no one was interested in the boys. Thankfully they stopped breeding and spayed Nokanda once they realized they would never get rid of Lindy and Jerroh.
I'e heard keepers mention before that they are both castrated and that they don't really know why Lindy grew a small mane. I would guess they use the term neutered during keeper talks because its easier for the general public and kids to understand.
I believe they were castrated pretty early on (before the fighting started) as the Zoo was aware they were likely going to have to keep them. The boys lived with Rowdy and Nokanda for quite some time before the fighting with Rowdy led them to being separated.
