African and Asian Lions (Panthera leo) Fact Sheet: Managed Care

Elite, royalty collections become public zoo collections

• See Cultural History
• Kept in cages and pits, beginning ca. 2100 BC (Kisling 2001)
• Kept by Assyrian rulers (e.g., Ashurnasirpal II, Sargon II) (Kisling 2001, except as noted)
  • Royal parks and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
  • Bred in managed care as early as 850 BC (Schaller 1972; Jackson 2010)
• Greece (Kisling 2001)
  • Maintained in temple collections
  • Exhibited for entertainment
  • Lions still naturally occurred in Greece at the time
• Romans (see discussion by Kisling 2001, p. 17-21)
  • Imported lions from Africa
  • Displayed in menageries, and for processions and public games (animal vs. animal combat, human vs. animal combat)
    • Spectacles become more elaborate in the Late Republic and Empire (27 BC-AD 476) periods
    • Thousands of lions slaughtered for public entertainment
      • Much written about public games; little about collections or husbandry
  • More humane, aesthetic displays of animals also common
  • Sometimes kept as pets by nobles and royalty
• Royal menageries begin in Europe during early medieval times (Jackson 2010; Royal Beasts)
  • Animals given as diplomatic gifts to royalty
  • Owning rare and exotic animals showed status and power
• Europe in the Middle Ages
  • Exotic animals housed in private collections of aristocrats and nobles (Kisling 2001)
    • Inside royals’ castles and nobles’ manors
    • First permanent zoological collection, ca. 1100
      • Woodstock, near Oxford, England
      • Belonged to William the Conqueror, and later, his son King Henry I (1068-1135)
      • Included lions, lynx, leopards, camels, porcupines, owl, etc.
      • Collection moved to the Tower of London in 1235
        • Housed animals for 600  years
    • Tower of London Royal Menagerie (Kisling 2001; Jackson 2010; Royal Beasts)
      • At first, only for royal family and guests
      • 1420s, open to the public—with costly admission
        • Only later did it become a popular sight-seeing destination
      • Lions housed there from 1210 through 1820s (possibly ‘til the Menagerie closed in 1832)
      • 1210: First record of lions at the Tower
      • 1272-1377: Royal collection consisted almost entirely of lions (or at least big cats) during reign of first three Edwards
        • Lions housed in Lion Tower (constructed 1275)
      • 1622: James I builds platform for watching lions made to fight other animals
      • 1832: Menagerie closes and animals moved to London Zoo
    • Chateau de Louvre
      • Phillip VI (1293-1350) creates space for lions and leopards
      • Lion house in Florence
        • About 24 lions
        • Set loose in arenas on special occasions
          • Did battle with other animals
          • Mild compared to Roman events
  • Early public menageries with lions spring up in Europe (Kisling 2001; Jackson 2010)
    • The only way most people gained exposure to non-native wildlife
    • Predecessors to modern zoos
• Early North American imports
  • 1716: A lion becomes the first exotic animal to be exhibited in North America (Kisling 2001)
    • Housed at people’s homes
    • Later, toured New England cities and the Caribbean
  • 1791: 2nd lion imported to US (Kisling 2001)
  • 1874: 1st record of a lion at a zoo (Stephanie Eller, Philadelphia Zoo registrar, personal communication 2016)
    • Philadelphia Zoo, the U.S.'s first zoo
      • Brings lions into their collection in December of their opening year

Sources: Brynes (2015) and Carmignani (2016), except where noted

Diet in managed care

• Adults
  • Meat-based diet
  • Adult females (Tony Franceschiello, personal communication, 2016)
    • Eat about 5-6 lbs of food per day
  • Adult males
    • Eat about 10 lbs of food per day
• Cubs
  • Milk formula, when need to be hand-raised

Healthcare and training

• Each lion is checked over each day to monitor its health and note any concerns
  • Lions present various parts of their bodies (e.g., paws, mouth) for keepers to examine
• Husbandry behaviors
  • “A way for keepers to communicate with the animals they care for” (Byrnes 2015)
  • Used to provide care, weigh animals, perform health checks, and move/transport animals
  • Keepers use a combination of operant conditioning, positive reinforcement, and trust-based relationships
  • When providing care, there is a safe barrier between keeper and the lion (“protected care”)
  • Example husbandry behaviors
    • Present paw
      • Check claws and toes
    • Open mouth
      • Check teeth and gums
    • Rise up
    • Lie down
    • Go to station/target
    • Crate
      • Used for transport
• Specialized health check tasks
  • Give vaccinations (e.g., rabies and feline viruses)
  • Take blood samples
    • Monitor response to vaccinations
    • Check for infections or organ problems
    • Test for heartworm
  • Administer eye drops following cataract surgery (Tony Franceschiello, personal communication, 2016) 

Enrichment

• Helps keep lions active and challenged
• Types provided by keepers
  • Social play
    • Interact with pride members
  • Exhibit elements
    • Trees to climb
    • Rises and structures to sleep on
    • Glass panels allow interation with guests
  • “Meatball hunts”
    • Meat treats hidden throughout the exhibit
    • Keep lions’ hunting skills honed
  • Novel objects to explore and play with
    • Boxes and barrels
    • Gourds
    • Holiday treats and birthday celebrations
  • Scents
    • Kitchen herbs, animal hair, high-end perfume, wood shavings, elephant dung
    • Rub and roll on these smells
      • Wild lions mask their scent to improve their hunting success
  • “Blood-sicles”
    • Bits of meat in frozen ice blocks
      • Special treat on hot days
    • Stimulates senses of smell, touch, and taste
  • Variation in diet
    • At San Diego Zoo, tilapia occasionally added to lion’s pool for them to catch and eat

Husbandry reading

• Carmingnani K. “The ‘Mane’ Highlights of Lion Care,” May 2016, ZOONOOZ; p. 20-21.
• Byrnes L. “Training Big Cats.” Byrnes L. 18 December 2015. ZOONOOZ: Keeper Notes.

Additional scientific studies

• Van Metter et al. (2008): experiments with enrichment objects

Live Camera Feed of African Lions

• Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, Arizona
• Smithsonian National Zoological Park, Washington, DC

San Diego Zoo founder, Dr. Harry Wegeforth, with lion cub.

The sound of lion roars from the 1916 Panama-California Exposition inspired Dr. Harry Wegeforth to found the San Diego Zoo.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

Prince, the San Diego Zoo's most famous lion, investigates a new zoo habitat.

In 1923, Prince and two female lions, Julia and Sarah, became a sensation in the San Diego Zoo's new open-air lion grotto. The first of its kind outside of Europe, this enclosure with no bars was dubbed revolutionary.

Image credit: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

Two pride members rest atop a safari-themed structure in the Safari Park's "Lion Camp" exhibit.

Image credit: Photo by Cassie Lee. © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.