New lioness settles in at Bristol Zoo Gardens

A lioness called Shiva is settling in to her new home at Bristol Zoo Gardens. The five-year-old Asiatic lion has arrived at the Zoo from Besançon Zoo in France and is getting to know her new surroundings.

She has been introduced to Bristol Zoo’s ‘mane’ attraction - her new mate, Kamal - and the pair already appear to be getting along well. Staff at Bristol Zoo hope the arrival of Shiva will soon be followed by the patter of tiny paws.

Bristol Zoo’s Senior Curator of Animals, John Partridge, said it was an exciting time for the Zoo: “Asiatic lions are critically endangered, so it is great news to have a new lioness and we are hoping for cubs in the not-too-distant future,” he said.

“Shiva has not had cubs before and is very important to the European breeding programme. The prospect of cubs is fantastic for Bristol Zoo as well as for the breeding programme as a whole.” 

Asiatic lions are critically endangered and are part of an internationally co-ordinated conservation breeding programme, managed by Twycross Zoo. There are only about 350 Asiatic Lions left in the wild and they can only be found in the Gir Forest Sanctuary in Northern India.

As there are so few Asiatic lions, it is necessary to manage the captive and wild populations if the species is to recover. It is important to ensure that all lions are pure bred and that pairs are not closely related to one another.

Despite sleeping for around 20 hours per day, Asiatic lions are social animals, living in units called prides. The Asiatic pride is much smaller than African lion prides, with an average of only two females compared to the African pride, which has an average of four to six.

For more information about Bristol Zoo Gardens visit the zoo website at www.bristolzoo.org.ukor phone 0117 974 7300.

ENDS

All photos by Bob Pitchford.

For press enquiries please contact Bristol Zoo Press Office:

Lucy Parkinson, T : 0117 974 7306, or email: lparkinson@bristolzoo.org.uk

Vanessa Hollier, T: 0117 974 7309, email: vhollier@bristolzoo.org.uk

Bristol Zoo Gardens

In 2010, International Year of Biodiversity, Bristol Zoo Gardens set up a Conservation Fund to raise vital funds to help care for threatened animals and plants – both in the zoo and through the conservation work we do in the UK and around the world.

• Bristol Zoo Gardens is an education and conservation charity and relies on the income from visitors to support its work. 
• Throughout 2010 Bristol Zoo will be running a series of events to highlight the importance of conserving the world’s biodiversity, as part of the international Year of Biodiversity. For more information visit the Zoo website at www.bristolzoo.org.uk/about/conservation/campaigns/iyob
• To find out more about the UN’s International Year of Biodiversity visit the website at www.biodiversityislife.net
• Bristol Zoo is open from 9am every day except Christmas Day. 
• The Zoo is involved with more than 100 co-ordinated breeding programmes for threatened wildlife species. 
• Itemploys 140 full and part-time staff to care for the animals and run a successful visitor attraction to support its conservation and education work. 
• Bristol Zoo Gardens supports – through finance and skill sharing - 15 projects in the UK and abroad that conserveand protectsome of the world’s most endangered species.
• Bristol Zoo Gardens is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums. BIAZA represents more than 90 member collections and promotes the values of good zoos and aquariums.

Asiatic Lions

• Scientific name: Panthera leopersicus
• Habitat: Grasslands to desert
• Country of Origin: Northern Greece, Southwest Asia, Central India (Now only found in the Gir Forest in India)
• These lions are not from Africa. They are the rare Asiatic lion from India.  Only 350 Asiatic lions remain in the wild and they are found only in one small game reserve, smaller in area than the New Forest.
• The Asiatic lion was once found in Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Middle East and most of India.  It became extinct in Europe around 100 A.D. and in Palestine around the time of the Crusades.  It remained widespread until the time of the advent of firearms in the mid 1800s, which led to widespread extinction through hunting as a sport.  In 1900, the Nawab of Junagadh, the local ruler, declared the few remaining lions in the Gir Forest protected animals. 
• They spend up to 20 hours of every day asleep.
• Kamal was born in Helsinki Zoo in 1994.