Lions
Lion Country is home to the Pride of Yorkshire: three specially-designed African Lion reserves spanning the large seven-acre habitat.
Take a stroll around Lion Country for unrivalled views of the home of our rescued African Lions. Enjoy 360 degree views in all directions from the spectacular waterfall bridge!
Lion Rescue
In 2009 in Romania, three prides of African Lions were living in filthy tiny concrete pens, fed on a meagre diet of scraps and faced an uncertain future. The new director, Diaina Ghender, realised that the zoo could not care for them and contacted YWP to see if we could help to re-home the lions.
At the time, YWP was a new park and did not have the funds to rehouse and care for the Lions. However, a public campaign was launched that raised £150,000 towards helping bring the Lions to their new home in Yorkshire. A team of big cat experts from zoos around the UK travelled to Romania to help move the 13 lions. They arrived in February 2010 when Jet2.com donated the use of an aeroplane to transport the prides to Doncaster Airport.
SPECIES
African Lions are the second largest big cat after the Tiger and typically live in groups of 10 - 15 called prides. In the 1940s, there was an estimated wild population of 450,000 African lions, estimates are now closer to 20,000. Lions are currently listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
DID YOU KNOW?
Wild African Lion numbers have reduced from hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands in the last few decades. Once found throughout the vast African continent, they are now in just a handful of protected ranges remaining in Southern and Eastern Africa. Their main threats are disease spread by domestic animals like dogs, poaching and human-wildlife conflict.
What's on today
Daily programme
| Time | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1:15 PM | Lion Tales Ranger Talk | Lion Country |
| 2:30 PM | Daily Carnivore Feed | See on arrival |
Lion Experience
The Lion experience is a fantastic opportunity to get up close and meet these iconic African giants. If you love bug cats, this is an experience not to be missed!
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