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Longleat Safari & Adventure Park Barbary lion

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by BearCat, 6 Apr 2009.

  1. BearCat

    BearCat Well-Known Member

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    At Longleat is there a pride of lions which is lead by a male Barbary lion?
    Sorry if there is already something about this.
     
  2. HuxleyPig

    HuxleyPig Well-Known Member

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    Yep, the second section has one called Kabir if I remember correctly :)
     
  3. Zambar

    Zambar Well-Known Member 15+ year member 10+ year member 5+ year member

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    Kabir moved to Newquay and sadly died from a broken leg several months after.
     
  4. taun

    taun Well-Known Member

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    Technically No, as it has been proven by DNA testing that Barbary lions in captivity are not pure.
     
  5. BearCat

    BearCat Well-Known Member

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    Why did he move to Newquay zoo when he was head of his own pride at longleat?
     
  6. Zambar

    Zambar Well-Known Member 15+ year member 10+ year member 5+ year member

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    There were fears about the young males in his pride fighting for dominance I believe.
     
  7. Paulkarli08

    Paulkarli08 Well-Known Member

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    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
     
  8. BearCat

    BearCat Well-Known Member

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    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?
     
  9. Jacobea

    Jacobea Well-Known Member

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    I don't supposed they could "re-breed" Barbarys like they've tried with Tarpans (Heck horses) ;)
     
  10. taun

    taun Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
  11. Paulkarli08

    Paulkarli08 Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
  12. BearCat

    BearCat Well-Known Member

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    Are Asian elephants then not Indian elephants but mixtures of Sri- Lankan, Sumatran and Indian! And African elephants African forest x African bush?
     
  13. BearCat

    BearCat Well-Known Member

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    Aren't West Midlands Safari parks white lions the only African lions in the UK of known subspecies?
     
  14. taun

    taun Well-Known Member

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    Yeah that about sums it up. Due the lack of space they are pooling resources (so to speak).
     
  15. zoogiraffe

    zoogiraffe Well-Known Member

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    No because Paradise Wildlife Park has a group of the same sub-species as West Mids.
     
  16. Cat-Man

    Cat-Man Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    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
     
  17. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    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.
     
  18. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    There have been several projects to do this, and some still ongoing- however they are pretty pointless for the reason given above.
     
  19. CZJimmy

    CZJimmy Well-Known Member

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    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
     
  20. Pt123

    Pt123 Well-Known Member

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    On top of which the Twycross herd are almost certainly of different races/sub-species. Just look at the origin of Noor-jahan compared with Minbu and Tonzi.

    Now with Karishma at Whipsnade, how is it possible that each collection is keeping a different sub-species?