Lazarus, probably the most impressive looking lion I have ever seen. I did not get any really good profile shots, but he has a full belly mane, a la Barbary Lion.
Lazarus, probably the most impressive looking lion I have ever seen. I did not get any really good profile shots, but he has a full belly mane, a la Barbary Lion.
No. Someone on our tour bus asked about him and they said he died around a year ago. Java had similar characteristics, but I actually find Lazarus more impressive.
Without ever seeing this animal or knowing anything about him, I can say with almost 100% certainty that he is not a "Barbary" Lion. Simple reason is that there are NO Barbary Lions out there. This supposed subspecies is extinct. All animals that claim to have some "Barbary" ancestry turn out to have none of the genetic markers that distinguish true Barbaries from regular Africans. The actual designation of the Barbary Lion as a full subspecies is even in doubt. African Lions have such a huge range of variance (called ecotypes) that there in all likelihood only 2 kinds of Lion, Panthera leo leo (African) and Panthera leo persica (Asian).
I agree with jbsn99 assessment. In terms of others that look like this, there may be one more but I can't remember. Before they moved to their current location in Camp Verde, back when they were in Fountain Hills, this lion when he was younger lived with two other males. I think all three came from different private facilities. One of those two other males I think is still at the park living in a pride with females, though he is not quite this impressive. This lion has decided he prefers to live alone.
The park mascot for years was Java, a similar looking lion from the MGM breeders and one of the largest lions ever recorded. He had a son born at the park named Solomon, also very impressive. Both of those have died. I don't know the name of this one (although they post the names on the fences, so I could check if I ever go back, which will not be anytime soon).
