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"African Lions" in captivity

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by RatioTile, 20 Jun 2020.

  1. RatioTile

    RatioTile Well-Known Member

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    I've noticed that most zoos around the world never label their African lions any subspecies. Is this because the vast majority of them are hybrids, or because the zoos don't actually know their countries of ancestral origin?
     
  2. Azamat Shackleford

    Azamat Shackleford Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Most are hybrids, but it's complicated since a recent taxonomic revision has shown that some lion "types" are the same subspecies (Asiatic lions and the now likely-extinct Barbary lions are both considered the same subspecies along with some other Northern African lion populations). It's pretty complicated, but I did find a studbook for P. leo krugeri in AZA zoos (though P. l. krugeri is now considered a part of P. l. melanochaita). Some zoos in Europe, as far as I know, keep Asiatic lions, and American zoos also formerly carried Asiatic lions (until they were phased out due to being mixed with African lions and poor record keeping).
     
  3. RatioTile

    RatioTile Well-Known Member

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    Zootierliste lists Panthera leo bleyenberghi, Panthera leo somaliensis, and Panthera leo vernayi as subspecies in European zoos, but I have yet to see an American zoo that labels its lions this precisely.
     
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  4. ralph

    ralph Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    None of those are valid anymore, if you choose to follow the revisited taxonomy.
     
  5. Coelacanth18

    Coelacanth18 Well-Known Member Premium Member 5+ year member

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    AFAIK all pedigreed lions in American zoos originate from the South African population, regardless of whatever taxonomy is used.