Asiatic lions in the US

[Cody Raney]

Back in the 90s, the London Zoo, Zoo Zurich, and Korkeasaari Zoo imported Asiatic Lions from India and as of 2009 there were 100 (as far as I know pure) Asiatic Lions within the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria and are the only Asiatic Lions that can be found outside of India. I know up until the late 90's African Lions and Asiatic Lions were bred haphazardly and now there are no Asiatic Lions stateside. Are similar import issues with Big Cats as there are with ruminates?

 

[JVM]

I know up until the late 90's African Lions and Asiatic Lions were bred haphazardly and now there are no Asiatic Lions stateside.

This is correct. The intent was to create a purebred Asiatic Lion captive breeding program in the United States and lions were imported from Indian zoos to multiple facilities, and Lincoln Park celebrated what was believed to be a rare birth; however, it was discovered that the founder lions imported from Indian zoos had some uncertain ancestry and that at least one of them had been either an African lion or Asiatic-African hybrid, which threw the entire population into doubt. By the late nineties, Lincoln Park was no longer referring to their lions as Asian.

There is some past discussion of this here,