Sorry if this has been asked before or if it seems a stupid question with an obvious answer, but since being a member of ZC,I've seen that zoo's cannot have African and Asiatic lions together in their collection (I dont mean living together, I mean in the same zoo!), can someone explain why this is please?
Lion question.
- Thread starter chizlit
- Start date
I didn't know that 
. I've heard that zoos can't keep both Asian and Africa elephants due to the risk of herpes transmission (even if they were kept a distance apart). Is this true? Are there any things that an African lion can pick up from an Aisan lion, or vice versa?
It is a shame, it knackers my dream collection
. I've heard that zoos can't keep both Asian and Africa elephants due to the risk of herpes transmission (even if they were kept a distance apart). Is this true? Are there any things that an African lion can pick up from an Aisan lion, or vice versa?It is a shame, it knackers my dream collection
I've seen both lion types kept together, and what's more, in exhibits next to each other, at Zoo Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was pairs of each and the Asiatic couple seemed a lot older than the African couple. In fact, the African couple would wade into the moat and even practically swim in it, the first time I've seen lions do that.
If you had no animals in a breeding situation (maybe a 'retirement centre' where non-breeding animals could go to free up space in zoos). Could they be kept together then (so long as they were all infertile?) Just curious is all 
Thanks for the replies, my thinking was it was to do with crossbreeding, but like you say the chances are so remote that it couldn't happen (at least not in a responsible zoo), I also knew elephants couldn't be kept together although again didn't know the reason.
I assume the law doesn't apply to rhino's as WMSP (one that I know of keeps more than one species)
So do you think as more and more types of animals become scarce the same laws will apply (other bigs cats, bears for example).
In the past Asian Lions have reached European zoos were later discovered to contain African blood(through crossbreeding in the Indian zoo they came from) These lines have been discontinued when the animals died out. So all Asian lions in the current breeding programme are purebred but the 'eclusivity' clause is an added insurance they stay that way, even though as you said most European zoos would never keep the two together anyway.
A number of zoos keep more than one rhino species(in the UK as well as West Midlands there is Chester and Whipsnade) but these are not closely related like Lions are, so no need for the same restriction.
They keep both Bornean and Sumatran orangutans & they can cross-breed.
Last edited:
Good point. Nowadays comparatively few zoos keep both species- Chester being one example. Why there should be a rule for Lions but not Orangutans I have no idea.
Meaghan Edwards
Well-Known Member
That's very interesting, I wondered why UK zoos couldn't have both. Considering the amount of crossbreeding among them, I wonder if they're going to do the same with the tigers.
Very few zoos in the UK keep more than one(purebred)tiger subspecies nowadays- one that does is Howletts, which in the past had a lot of impure 'Indian' tigers, probably already mixed race when they received them, but they have gradually phased them out as they died off. Nowadays they keep pure Amurs and have recently added Sumatran and are presumably members of the relevant EEP programmes.