Longleat Safari & Adventure Park Barbary lion
- Thread starter BearCat
- Start date
taun
Well-Known Member
Technically No, as it has been proven by DNA testing that Barbary lions in captivity are not pure.
Why did he move to Newquay zoo when he was head of his own pride at longleat?
Paulkarli08
Well-Known Member
Kabir moved as he has fathered 4 litters of cubs at Longleat and there was no need to breed from the lions for a few years, so the idea was proposed to move him on. Newquay had lost their male 'Ronnie' (former Longleat resident male) to old age a few months previously, so Kabir was an ideal choice. However he didnt enjoy much of a retirement.... poor lad. Newquay now display a single female (also a former Longleat resident) on her own now with no plans to obtain another male
Thanks for the info.
You say that no Barbary lions in zoos are pure but they would still have barbary genes. Is it bad if longleat introduced barbary genes into the captive African lion population?
You say that no Barbary lions in zoos are pure but they would still have barbary genes. Is it bad if longleat introduced barbary genes into the captive African lion population?
taun
Well-Known Member
Probably yes, but its a similar situation with elephants (subspecies being mixed). They are still african lions so am not that fussed myself. Means you can preserve a larger population.
Paulkarli08
Well-Known Member
It wouldnt matter that longleat bred a part barbary lion to their pride, as all safari park lions are just generic hybrids anyway. to the average safari park visitor, a lion is a lion, thats what they pay to see.
Are Asian elephants then not Indian elephants but mixtures of Sri- Lankan, Sumatran and Indian! And African elephants African forest x African bush?
Aren't West Midlands Safari parks white lions the only African lions in the UK of known subspecies?
taun
Well-Known Member
Yeah that about sums it up. Due the lack of space they are pooling resources (so to speak).
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
No because Paradise Wildlife Park has a group of the same sub-species as West Mids.
i think chester have one sub-species of asiatic elephant, and blackpool and whipsnade (and formely london) have another. (presumably they are either Indian or Sri Lankan)
and as far as i am aware, there are no african forest elephants in captivity
These lions are said to have Barbary genes but scientific tests of their DNA has proved they don't have any Barbary Lion genes, so it is a fallacy.
I don't supposed they could "re-breed" Barbarys like they've tried with Tarpans (Heck horses)
There have been several projects to do this, and some still ongoing- however they are pretty pointless for the reason given above.
Why do you say this?
Chester have had elephants from the London line before (Thi-Hi Way) so the 2 herds at both collections couldn't be from seperate subspecies