Yorkshire Wildlife Park Lion Rescue (Yorkshire Wildlife Park)

zoogiraffe said:
but I also believe that it should have some long term benefit to the species involved in,which in this move I can see none,apart from a major PR win win for YWP.
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Of course, a peaceful and content life for those lions that make the journey obviously has no benefit, does it?
 
Marwell Dalek said:
Of course, a peaceful and content life for those lions that make the journey obviously has no benefit, does it?
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I can understand what zoogiraffe is saying, in the big picture there is no benefit to lions as a whole, or to conservation other than publicity for the park. However temporarily (i.e however long the lions will live for) they will live a better happier life.
 
Whilst I can see what you and zoogiraffe are saying, I fail to see how it won't benefit on the whole? They'll probably live longer, and whilst the journey will be stressful surely they'd be much better off in the long run?
 
Ash said:
Whilst I can see what you and zoogiraffe are saying, I fail to see how it won't benefit on the whole? They'll probably live longer, and whilst the journey will be stressful surely they'd be much better off in the long run?
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I`m just more annoyed about the fact that some of the Safari Parks have Lions that need re-homing yet YWP have to get some from deepest darkest East Europe on a rescue mission,because if they did get them from the U.K the costs would be greatly reduced they would have had the extra money for improving their own park insted of the cost of having to transport these Lions.
 
I see what you mean, and I never thought of it like that. My last post was more directed at Foz though, as I wondered why he or she thought the lions wouldn't really benefit.
 
Ash said:
I see what you mean, and I never thought of it like that. My last post was more directed at Foz though, as I wondered why he or she thought the lions wouldn't really benefit.
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This doesn`t mean to say that I don`t respect them for what they are trying to do for these Lions I do but that doesn`t mean I have to agree with it.
 
I can see it's a PR huge benefit to YWP get their name out there but chatting to people involved they do appear to have been genuinely moved by seeing these animals living the way they do - but perhaps I'm just too trusting!
 
OrangePerson said:
I can see it's a PR huge benefit to YWP get their name out there but chatting to people involved they do appear to have been genuinely moved by seeing these animals living the way they do - but perhaps I'm just too trusting!
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I sure if I saw them I would have been moved to do something for them but not by moving them all the way to the U.K.
 
I think it is a waste of money on lions' rescue, as it should be spent on native species conservation something like Scottish Wild Cat or Red Squirrel project, what Chris Peckham typically spoke out about the conservation value like Giant Panda!
 
zoogiraffe said:
I`m just more annoyed about the fact that some of the Safari Parks have Lions that need re-homing yet YWP have to get some from deepest darkest East Europe on a rescue mission,because if they did get them from the U.K the costs would be greatly reduced they would have had the extra money for improving their own park insted of the cost of having to transport these Lions.
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If any Safari Park in the UK (or Ireland, for that matter thinking of Causeway) fell into such a state that they couldn't maintain their animals' health, afford to put any on contraception or allow for sufficient day-to-day husbandry, I would expect those animals to be rehomed as a priority to other UK collections. The current UK safari parks can take responsibility for breeding lions deliberately, given that they have sufficient resources to put their animals on contraception or extend the space to form a second group as Longleat has done.

I would not be comfortable seeing YWP take on a young group of 14 young lions bred at a UK safari park as I think it encourages them to breed more. Will this rescue encourage the zoo they are coming from to acquire more lions?
 
Gentle Giant said:
I think it is a waste of money on lions' rescue, as it should be spent on native species conservation something like Scottish Wild Cat or Red Squirrel project, what Chris Peckham typically spoke out about the conservation value like Giant Panda!
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Why native species? There are many conservation bodies in the UK specifically geared to protecting native wildlife, in fact this country has laws protecting wildlife which are well upheld compared to other countries which have other priorities and issues. I don't think it is a useful role of UK zoos to prioritise native wildlife conservation although there is a great contribution to be made by them.

The Giant Panda example is different from doing some zoo outreach in Eastern Europe. China can afford to conserve its Pandas, it doesn't need the west, and Western zoos are net consumers not producers of giant pandas, so it is a bogus conservation species in our zoos.

If YWP spent £200,000 on 'lions of the serengeti', with huge glass viewing galleries, vantage points and fancy interp for some Safari park-bred common or garden African lions, would anyone be criticising them?

So Lions are in their collection plan, they decided to do some outreach via fundraising, it will be good experience to pave the way for rarer species....they won't be breeding from them, whats not to like?
 
I agree with Johnstoni in the fact that zoos and safari parks in the UK can easily afford to stop their lions from breeding when there is a lack of space or when the line is over-represented.

I don't think it can really be justified that YWP take on lions from UK establishments that were born the majority of the time just for publicity, and leave lions in dire conditions in Romania.
 
RTB1987 said:
I don't think it can really be justified that YWP take on lions from UK establishments that were born the majority of the time just for publicity, and leave lions in dire conditions in Romania.
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I never suggested that the Lions should be left in Dire conditions in Romania,my point is that there are collection`s a great deal closer to this place than YWP that could be doing alot more to help these Lions,at a much reduced cost than what its going to cost YWP to bring them over here,considering that the greatest part of the cost to YWP is going to be for the transporting of the Lions to YWP from Romania!
 
Lion Rescue

I think it is great what YWP are doing in taking the 14 lions especially if they intend to give them a natural environment and let them live as one or two prides so that the public will be able to see them interact with each other as they do in the wild, although of course they can not be allowed to reproduce to aid conservation ( if indeed there are any programs for introducing zoo breed lions back to the wild? ) if the park promotes it correctly they can be used to bring the publics attention to the plight of lions in the wild and if the YWP donates some of its increased profits to a lion conservation project in Africa this will be in many ways more valuable to conservation than producing cubs. I have already given three small donations to this cause and look forward to visiting the lions when they get to England
 
johnstoni said:
Why native species? There are many conservation bodies in the UK specifically geared to protecting native wildlife, in fact this country has laws protecting wildlife which are well upheld compared to other countries which have other priorities and issues. I don't think it is a useful role of UK zoos to prioritise native wildlife conservation although there is a great contribution to be made by them.

The Giant Panda example is different from doing some zoo outreach in Eastern Europe. China can afford to conserve its Pandas, it doesn't need the west, and Western zoos are net consumers not producers of giant pandas, so it is a bogus conservation species in our zoos.

If YWP spent £200,000 on 'lions of the serengeti', with huge glass viewing galleries, vantage points and fancy interp for some Safari park-bred common or garden African lions, would anyone be criticising them?

So Lions are in their collection plan, they decided to do some outreach via fundraising, it will be good experience to pave the way for rarer species....they won't be breeding from them, whats not to like?
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I would like to ask one question When the British public start asking why the Scottish Wildcat and Red Squirrels as you used as a example have died out and no British zoo/park did anything to help yet they help animals from other countries which would have no effect on our own countryside what should we say
It wasn't the zoo's or parks fault it was they should've stayed in the desiganated area's of safety if so then surely this must also be said for the animals from other countries as most endangered animals now have programmes in there own countries to help save them.
British animals are just as important as any other countries animal big or small thats what concervation is all about
 
Lion Rescue

I value our native wildlife as well and I think every effort should be made to protect it and even reintroduce it where it has died out ( eg red squirrels and Scottish wild cats ) but I think what the YWP wanted is a large exotic animal to grab the zoo visiting public attention and get themselves put on the map (after all at the end of the day it is a business and has to make a profit) and the lions kill two birds with one stone so to speak, they act as a crowd puller for a new emerging zoo and at the same time preserve the lives of 14 lions and hopefully in the future this can incorporate some kind of link with lion conservation in Africa.
 
I have no problem with YWP taking the lions as I will admit I think that it's a great Idea
for the lions and the zoo, but I was not suggesting that they were wrong to take the lions all I was suggesting that if some zoo's took more interest in our own endangered wildlife then maybe they could be saved.
The way Johnstoni was suggesting was that our wildlife have more then enough protection, what I was saying it gets the same protection as many endangered animals in other countries
If the concervatiion plans are not working in other countries why should we allow our wildlife to die out, why not try and help them in there own countries with advice and hands on idea's
 
The public have made this possible by personal donation to help save these poor lions .
Yes, it will put YWP on the map , but that is a very positive outcome . Many people cannot visit reserves in Africa etc , and if we can teach ourselves and our children the extreme importance of conserving these beautiful animals it is very worthwhile.
 
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