Dublin Zoo welcomes new Asian lion

Ellen O'Donoghue

Dublin Zoo have welcomed a new male Asian lion.

The lion, five year old Kushanu, from Edinburgh Zoo joined nine-year-old female Kamala at the Asian lion habitat at Dublin Zoo, which is located beside sea lion cove and close to the red panda habitat.

Kushanu arrived in March and is forming a strong bond with Kamala, to the excitement of Dublin Zoo, who hope the pair will breed and produce healthy cubs.

Dublin Zoo is part of the European Endangered Species Programme for the Asian lion, which manages their population and breeding.

Ciaran McMahon, team leader at Dublin Zoo, said that they are excited to welcome Kushanu, who is settling in well.

“We look forward to hearing Kushanu’s impressive roars, and visitors can be excited to see Kushanu’s distinctive mane as he explores his new habitat,” Mr McMahon said.

The Asian lion is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and it is estimated that there are around 500-600 individuals left in the wild due to threats such as habitat loss and illegal hunting.

Asian lions live in only one place in the wild, the Gir National Park and Sanctuary in India, meaning that they are also vulnerable to unexpected events in that area, such as natural disasters or diseases.

Another threat is conflict with farmers when lions come onto their land.

The lion has the loudest roar of all the big cats and can be heard up to eight kilometres away.

The male lion is the only cat that has a mane, which is an indication of their maturity and dominance.

Asian lions have shorter, darker manes than African lions. Asian lions are meat eaters and are known as ambush predators.