Turns out some festive decorations make purr-fect toys! Locals are dropping off old and unsold trees at Linton Zoo in Cambridgeshire, giving the large cats new scratch poles and sources of heat.
Christmas is anything but over for these playful lions.
The big cats at Linton Zoo in Cambridgeshire, England, have been given old trees to play with as a post-festive present, reports the BBC.Bosses say the evergreen conifers are "like catnip" to the ferocious felines. Adorable footage shows the deadly animals using the needles as a gigantic scratch pole.
Zoo staff are also using the trees to keep the animals warm, by putting them in the zoo's bio-burner
Zoo director Kim Simmons said local residents and nurseries had been dropping off their old and unsold trees at the popular tourist attraction."We've already had quite a few trees coming in, which are giving the lions hours of fun," she told the Telegraph.
A fearless house cat was spared one of his nine lives when he stood up to a mountain lion with only a window pane between them. Despite the fact that the lion was much bigger, stronger and more fierce than the pretty Himalayan, the long-haired kitty showed no fear as the lion glowered at him from only inches away.
The brave kitty shows not an ounce of trepidation as the lion looms over him, gigantic paw in the air.
The cat even offers a 'meow' greeting only to receive a deep-throated hiss in return. He occasionally looks back at his more cautious orange friend, who keeps his distance.
Cat lovers everywhere like nothing more than a hug and kiss from their feline friends.Ana Julia Torres, however, went a step further when she was kissed by a much bigger cat - a 17-stone lion.
Ana rescued grateful Jupiter, an African lion, from a circus in Colombia six years ago. He was extremely malnourished after having been badly mistreated.Now though he is the picture of health and couldn't resist planting a huge smacker on Ana, who runs a shelter for sick and miestreated animals.
The story of this video begins on a day not unlike so many other before and since. The footage was taken at the Kicheche Bush Camp, which is an animal wildlife sanctuary located in the heart of the Olare Motorogi Conservancy. Bill and Barbara Westbrook were just enjoying the day, taking in the sights and recording video that they could share with their friends and loved ones back home.
Suddenly, terror strikes. A calf that is just seven days old suddenly looks as if it’s going to become the victim of a nearby pride of lions. The pride is closing in fast, clearly thinking that they’ve just found their next meal. Bill and Barbara watch on in horror, wondering if they should do something or call someone to come help.
Luckily, help presented itself – in the form of the most heroic giraffe that you’ll ever have the pleasure of laying eyes on! Watch as this giraffe shows that pride of lions that he means business and manages to save the calf before disaster can strike!
Though the actual event went on for over a half an hour according to the Westbooks, the video itself condenses the best bits down into one of the most amazing minute-long videos that is currently gracing YouTube’s servers. Trust us – this is one truly remarkable video that you’re definitely going to find yourself watching over and over again!
Three lion brothers decided long ago that it was best to stay together.Sirwa, Sayid and Shona lead a pride of 24 lions on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
Sirwa is one of three peaceful lion dads in the pride.
Theirs is the Eastern Sector Pride, the largest lion pride on the conservancy and the safest — the survival rate of cubs is the highest for miles.The arrangement is highly unusual. "They have not split from their birth pride as male lions are known to do," Ol Pejeta told The Dodo. "They protect the pride as a brotherhood coalition, which is rare. They peacefully share equal dominance, mating rights and pride protection duties with no infighting among them."
With the strong lionesses of the pride, the brothers are raising their families.
"Male lions are notorious for being aggressive and impatient with cubs," Ol Pejeta said. "However, our field technician Chris, reports that the three brothers are extremely gentle with their offspring — Chris has never seen them lash out at the cubs.
Lionesses Sior, Sekela and Pash, of the pride.
Sayid fathers his cubs and defends the pride from intruders with his two brothers — and has the scars to prove it.
Shona, a brother, a father and a peaceful member of the pride.
The unusual arrangement shows how unique animals can be, with varying histories and experiences.
The pride is truly a force of love and loyalty.
Ol Pejeta is a wildlife conservancy of 110,000 acres that seeks to conserve endangered species and promote community development. Learn what you can do to help.
If you love cats, the idea of holding a wee lion cub sounds pretty appealing. Don’t do it, though.Lion petting is a tourist activity you’ll find in many of Africa’s so-called Lion Parks, according to World Animal Protection (WAP). Lion cub petting is emerging as a serious problem.Maybe you think you are helping the wild cats by taking pictures with them. But you’re not. Actually you are reinforcing the poor treatment of lions by petting lion babies — and in all sorts of ways.Now that the Cecil tragedy has put lion treatment under the magnifying glass, Africa wildlife advocates want to underline the importance of lion care.Resisting the urge to pet lions is one thing you should avoid, advocates say, when visiting Africa.
Please don’t pet the lions
In its recently released lion report, WAP estimates there are 5,800 captive-bred lions in 150 commercial facilities just in South Africa alone.Those cubs you snap a picture with were likely taken away from their mother long before they were weaned. In the wild, a cub is normally weaned at 8 months. But in commercial breeding facilities — where you can snap a photo with Simba — they are often separated from their mothers at only a month old. One month.
Separation from mom is just the beginning. That cub in your picture won’t be a cub for long, you know. It will grow into a full lion — no longer a petting attraction or photo prop. WAP says that many adult lions wind up hunted or euthanized once they no longer provide tourism entertainment.Think twice before you smile and tickle the little lion cub. Here’s a WAP video that explains in full:
Just say no to lion parks
Unlike responsible conservation centers that breed lions to preserve and help the species, lion parks are in the business of creating lion entertainment for tourists. Popular tourist sites like TripAdvisor sometimes fall prey to such commercial come-ons.Lion Park in Johannesburg received TripAdvisor’s 2015 Certificate of Excellence. The Park has a full page on lion cub handling and the controversy surrounding the practice. But the park still does it, saying:
“It should be noted … that the vast majority of visitors to the Lion Park do not feel that the cubs display signs of irritation or unhappiness when being touched.”
The baby lion’s feelings aside, WAP believes this practice sets up a negative, entertainment-based life for wild creatures that should be helped, not exploited.Cannedlion.org details how cub petting hurts lions and how we can help encourage South Africa to shut down the lion industry. Often lions are bred for commercial purposes and later get “canned” — a method of hunting where the animal is hunted within a captive environment.Travelers and tourism can help out lions if tourist dollars are spent at wildlife reserves or sanctuaries.
“Lion Park” in the name doesn’t always mean the park is commercial, either, sometimes sanctuaries include the term in their names. So do your research. The Drakenstein Lion Park near Cape Town is a sanctuary for captive-bred lions, and it details why tourists should not visit places where they can “play with cubs.”
In its lion report, WAP encourages tourists to patronize South Africa’s network of 400 national parks and similar protected areas where wild lions can be viewed in their native habitat.One of the best known parks is Kruger National Park (pictured left), which is home to Africa’s Big Five: elephants, lions, leopards, black or white rhinos and Cape buffalo. Karoo National Park is another to visit — it’s on my list because lions were reintroduced there in 2010, after an absence of 170 years.
The message is clear.
When you visit Africa, see lions in the wild, not in a zoo-based entertainment environment. Unlike conservation-minded facilities like, say, the San Diego Zoo, commercial lion parks are focused on tourist dollars, not the welfare of lions. Avoid them.
THIS is the jaw-dropping moment a family captured rare footage of a brutal battle between a crocodile and three lions at a Kenya game reserve.
Life can be tough, even when you're at the top of the food chain: Lions and crocodile duel
Tourist Kai Banks was on safari in Samburu National Reserve with his family when he shot the violent stand-off between a male lion, two lionesses and the enormous reptile. The warring beasts were spotted fighting over the carcass of a dead elephant.But the meat wasn't an easy catch for any of the predators, as shown in this viral video.
As soon as both the croc and lion spot their prey, they begin to eye up the competition
Life can be tough - even when you're at the top of the food chain - because as soon as both the croc and lions spotted their prey, they began to eye up the competition. It might seem the solitary crocodile had the upper hand as he bravely bares his enormous jaws (along with their sets of razor-sharp teeth) at the lion, but it is hardly a fair fight when two other ferocious cats join the fray.
In the scenes that follow, a second duel - which Mr Banks caught on stills because of "technical issues" - reveals how the crocodile is persistent but weakening as three against one proved to be insurmountable odds. Gnawing at his snout and biting his tail, the lions dominated the croc as they piled on top of him.
As the battle came to a crippling end for the ancient reptile, the lion who picked the fight stood victorious over his rival as his family claimed the elephant prize. Commenting on his YouTube video, Mr Banks wrote: "My family and I managed to catch an extremely rare event on camera during our recent trip to the Samburu National Reserve in Kenya.
"We knew it was something special when our guide's mouth dropped open as soon as the lions jumped onto the crocodile. Take a look!
"Many thanks to the beautiful Saruni Samburu lodge and to our incredible guide, Sambara."
An American woman was killed and another person injured by a lion that jumped into their car at Lion Park near Johannesburg, South Africa on Monday (1 June).The woman was in the passenger seat and had her window down when the attack occurred. The driver tried to help her and was injured in the process.
Scott Simpson, assistant operations manager at Lion Park, confirmed on eNews Channel Africa (eNCA) that the tourists were driving with their windows open."Our staff working at the top of the camp tried to get the lion away from the car. Ambulances were called immediately but it was too late," he said.
Simpson added that the park puts a lot of effort into warning visitors to keep windows shut.
"We make it so clear. We put signage up everywhere that people must keep their windows closed. We hand them a slip of paper when they enter the park. I really don't understand why people think it's OK to leave windows open," he said.
In March, Brendan Smith, an Australian visitor to the same park, was also attacked by a lion that entered his vehicle through an open car window, but he survived.eNCA also reported that two days later a 13-year-old boy on a bicycle, who was taking a shortcut through the park, was attacked by a cheetah.Although Simpson confirmed the woman's nationality as American, the US embassy in South Africa said it was waiting for details and added that it was working to "provide any assistance possible".
The Ghost and the Darkness
Meanwhile, the descendants of the Tsavo Man-Eaters lions have emerged from the African Bush to strike terror in workers replacing the Kenya-Uganda Railway.In 1898, the notorious Tsavo Man-Eaters – a pair of lions with a taste for human flesh – killed dozens of Indian workers who built the British Kenya-Uganda Railway, before they were shot by a British colonial officer.Now their descendants in Kenya are attacking workers laying the £2.5bn replacement of the rail line by the Chinese.According to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), a ranger was attacked and badly injured by a lion last week, whilst he was guarding an area near the construction of the new railway line. The area was to be visited by the Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta.
Earlier this year, KWS had urged workers building the new standard gauge railway to take extra care in the evening, so as to avoid being prey for Tsavo's lions.
KWS assistant director Robert Obrein was reported to have told workers in the area: "(The Company's) camp is in the area where the notorious man-eating lions that were responsible for the deaths of a number of workers who built the Kenya-Uganda railway in 1898 roamed. It is also near Tsavo River where other big cats such as cheetahs and leopards come to drink water."The Lions of Tsavo became famous in 1898 when a team of Indian builders were attacked by two lions while building a bridge over the River Tsavo.The two lions went on a rampage for a number of months, and were estimated to have killed 135 workers.The person in charge of the construction, Lt. Col. Patterson, finally killed the two lions in December 1898, a good ten months after they started their killing spree.
The Tsavo Man-Eaters on display in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois.
The lions' rampage lasted 10 months, and they were estimated to have killed 135 workers. Workers built barricades made of thorn fences to keep the man-eating lions out of their camps, but the big cats leapt over the barricades or dragged themselves – and the prey back out – through the thorns.The lions have featured in a number of films, the most notable being The Ghost And The Darkness, starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer.Many theories have been put forward as to why the lions became man-eaters, including the burial customs of the Hindu workers who cremated their dead in the open, leaving the corpses to be scavenged by the lions.Historians have also highlighted the ancient Arab slaving caravans that traversed the remote Tsavo region, dumping the dead where they fell as encouraging lions to eat human flesh.African lions are estimated to attack around 70 humans per year in Tanzania, and kill up to 250 people a year. However, lions are relatively peaceful compared to hippos: despite their cuddly reputation hippopotamus kill nearly 3,000 people a year in Africa.
A US tourist was killed and a tour guide injured in a lion attack at Johannesburg’s Lion Park.
JOHANNESBURG – Today’s shocking news of the death of an American tourist at the Lion Park near Lanseria has sparked backlash on social media with various comments referring back to previous incidents, also at the Lion Park. The two people were travelling in the car with their windows apparently open.It’s understood a lioness jumped through the open window, biting the woman who was in the passenger’s seat.The driver, a tour guide, was badly injured while attempting to free the woman from the animal's grasp and was taken to hospital with severe injuries.The most recent incident was in April when Australian Brendan Smith was bitten by a lion after rolling down his window. In a Facebook post he said, ‘No later than 36 hours after touching down in Africa I find myself in hospital after a lion jumped through the car window and decided to go to town on my legs. Pretty full-on but am alive, with insurance coming to the party and an influx of curious Africans wanting to see ‘the lion man’. Could have and should have been a lot worse but chicks dig scars so I’ll be sweet!’
WATCH: A lion has her way with an Aussie tourist.
Animal accidents are not uncommon in South Africa, particularly where tourists are involved, usually due to the fact that park rules had not been followed.
This is a list of incidents going back to 2011:
MAN SHOVES HAND INTO LIONESS’S MOUTH
A man shoved his arm into a lioness’s mouth at the Lion Park to keep her out of his car after he also left a window open.
Ranesh Rajkaran, 28, luckily only suffered scratch marks.
He and his wife, Somashnie, who was pregnant, had been celebrating their second wedding anniversary at the park.
Rajkaran said he opened the windows a little due to the sweltering heat, not expecting a lioness to shove her paw through the gap.
“I think she must have smelled the food in the car or maybe she just wanted to play,” he said.
RUGBY PLAYER AND FAMILY ATTACKED
In December 2013, Former Griquas rugby player Brett Tucker and his family were attacked by a lion at the Lion Park. Tucker had his daughter on his lap at the time when a lion put its paw through the window which was slightly down. Her grandfather then threw her in the backseat. Tucker’s father suffered minor injuries to the shoulder after he tried to roll his window up, but accidentally rolled it further down.
MAN JUMPS INTO ANIMAL ENCLOSURE
In April 2014, a man was mauled to death by lions after he allegedly jumped into the animals’ enclosure at the East London zoo.
“According to the CCTV footage‚ the man entered the zoo this morning at around 9am. He paid the entrance fee and proceeded into the zoo premises. He was alone and did not display any signs of being emotional or distressed‚” said Buffalo City Metro spokesman Thandy Matebese.
LIONS ATTACK TOURIST GROUP
In August 2014, a video emerged of a lion attacking a car full of people. A film crew was visiting a wildlife sanctuary owned by “The Lion Whisperer” Kevin Richardson when one of the big cats began to claw the vehicle, eventually snapping the wing mirror clean off. The lions chased after the car which sped away.
CROC DRAGS MAN UNDER AT GOLF COURSE
In December 2014, Jacques van der Sandt (29) was killed by a crocodile at the Skukuza Golf Course in the Kruger National Park. Van der Sandt allegedly went for a late night swim at a dam called Lake Panic. He was dragged under water by the crocodile and later found in the jaws of the reptile, which was killed in order to recover the body.
Lion reportedly pulled female tourist from car in Lion Park, where guests are advised to drive with the windows up
A woman has been killed and another injured in an attack by a lion at the Lion Park, Johannesburg, South Africa
An American tourist was mauled to death by a lioness after the animal bit the woman through a car window in a South African wildlife park on Monday.The 22-year-old woman and a male friend were on an afternoon drive in Lion Park, a tourist destination just outside Johannesburg that advertises “super close-up animal views guaranteed,” when the lion bit her through the passenger window.
“The lion approached from the left of the vehicle from the passenger side and it walked quite close,” said Scott Simpson, Lion Park’s spokesman.“The witnesses said they saw the guests taking pictures of the lion from a metre away, then the lion lunged at the car and bit the lady through the window.”
The vehicle believed to have been carrying the victim seen in a cordoned-off area inside a lion enclosure
Mr Simpson said that the park staff rushed to get the lioness off the terrified young woman, but were too late to save her life.
“When the paramedics were treating the lady she unfortunately passed away,” said Mr Simpson, a 28-year-old who has been working at the Lion Park for less than a year.
Mr Simpson said the American tourist was on a “routine” drive through an enclosure, which is approximately eight hectares large, with 12 lions inside.
“There was nothing special about this one,” said Mr Simpson about the fatal drive. "We have 200,000 visitors every year and an incident like this very rarely happens.”
A police van arrives at the Lion Park, where an investigation is under way
The South African male driver of the car was injured in the attack as he tried to save the tourist, according to reports. He was taken to a nearby hospital and his injuries are not life threatening, said Mr Simpson.South African police have opened an inquest. “The investigation is how the woman died, because she died unnaturally,” said Lieutenant Colonel Lungelo Dlamini, Gauteng province police spokesman.The US embassy said it was aware of reports of an incident involving a US citizen.
The lion attack is just one of a series of violent episodes seen at the popular park this year.
In March, an Australian tourist – who also had his window rolled down to take pictures – was bit in the leg by a lion and in April a 13-year-old boy was attacked by a cheetah on his bicycle, reportedly after deciding to cut the fence and take a short cut home through the park.
Lions scrap at the Lion Park in Johannesburg
“No later then 36 hours after touching down in Africa I find myself in hospital after a lion jumped through the car window and decided to go to town on my legs,” said the Australian tourist Brendan Smith in a Facebook post on March 26.
"Could have and should have been a lot worse but chicks dig scars so I’ll be sweet!"
Guests are advised to drive with the windows up when they go through the Lion Park, which has seen big name celebrities, such as Rihanna and Shakira, visit the grounds.Even when the car doors and windows are firmly shut, guests in wildlife parks are at risk. Last year, a man filmed a curious lion in South Africa opening a car door.Despite the loss of human life, Mr Simpson was unable to comment on what will happen to the lioness who bit the tourist. “Obviously we’re incredibly sad that this happened, our condolences go out to the family,” he said.Still, said Mr Simpson, “we won’t euthanise it, that’s not an option.”
After Game of Thrones editor Katherine Chappell was tragically mauled to death by a lion that attacked her in her car, a further reminder of just how careful we need to be around big cats - even if we're in a vehicle - has emerged.Shocking footage posted online shows an African lion becoming fed up at being ogled at and deciding to turn a group of onlookers into its prey.The incident was captured on camera at a safari park in Johannesburg, South Africa, and shows the moment the lion goes from resting by the side of a car, to jumping up at the window to attack.
Shocking moment lioness attempts to get into car
The car driver can be heard attempting to frighten the animal away by blowing the horn as the predator attacks the side of the vehicle.The video maker records the animal as it fishes through the open window with its large paw.Later the filmmaker records the floor for a moment while ensuring that his own window is closed.After blowing the horn to no avail, the attacked driver begins manoeuvring the car out of the way.
According to the video maker, no one was injured by the lion and the driver was able to continue driving away after the camera stopped rolling.Katherine Chappell died in a similar incident in a safari park in the north of Johannesburg on June 1, 2015.
Engineer Ben Govender, 38, who was in the car behind Miss Chappell when the attack took place, said 'no one could have imagined' what would happen in the minutes after he took an extraordinary photograph showing the lion mounting the side of the vehicle.
A tourist believed to be from the US has been killed in a lion attack at a game park in South Africa, a park official has told the BBC.
The lioness jumped through the open window of the couple's car and started mauling the woman, assistant park manager Scott Simpson said.Paramedics were called to the scene but she died from her injuries, while the man is still receiving treatment.The popular Lion Park is 30km (19 miles) north of Johannesburg.The park's rules forbid visitors from driving through the lion enclosure with their windows down, reports the BBC's Milton Nkosi from Johannesburg.
Park rangers chased the lioness away after the attack, and it is not clear whether the animal will now have to be put down, our correspondent adds.Local media are reporting that the woman's death marks the third incident in the past four months at the park
Milton Nkosi, BBC News, Johannesburg
This afternoon's attack in the Lion Park came as a shock not only to the tourists and staff there but to me too.I am a frequent visitor to the park. It's a great place to take the family and I've taken my own kids there for as long as I can remember.We also take international visitors who want to have a feel of the African wildlife experience without having to drive for hundreds of kilometres into the bush.The park's location near to Johannesburg makes it an easy destination for many tourists who are in town for a short time attending a conference or business meetings.The lions are kept in large fenced-off enclosures which visitors can drive through themselves.
The official South African tourism website describes the park as a "hybrid between a zoo and a game reserve", while the Lion Park's website says "super close-up animal views" are guaranteed. Cheetahs, spotted hyenas and giraffe are also in the park.The Lion Park is one of the region's most popular destinations, attracting tourists from around the world.Previous high-profile visitors have reportedly included Colombian singer Shakira, Hollywood actress Natalie Portman, as well as the entire German football team before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Germany's football team visited the Lion Park ahead of the 2010 South Africa World Cup
These protective lionesses lashed out without hesitation when a lone male approached their precious cubs - prompting all hell to break loose among the pride as they joined the attack.The lion was set upon by lionesses in Kenya's Masai Mara game reserve, where the unwanted stranger was soon forced to flee.Their rumble in the jungle took place within the Mara Triangle, which forms the western part of the reserve, bordering Tanzania.
The two leap at a lion who had approached their cubs in Kenya, Africa
Male cubs are ousted from the pride between two to three-years-old, but female cubs may stay indefinitely.The cubs are weaned between 7-8 months old.The reserve stretches for 580 square miles and the terrain is primarily grassland and forest with clumps of the distinctive acacia trees.
Two lions and two lionesses gang up on the lone lion. The lion on the right is the oldest of the group, as distinguished by its darker mane
They may look familiar but these big cats are extremely unique and rare.This big cat mother recently gave birth to three adorable liliger cubs at a zoo in Novosibirsk, Russia.Although the mother and her cubs look like tigers, she is in fact a lion-tiger hybrid known as a liger - the biggest known cat in the world.
Bizarre: A Russian zoo is home to a unique animal - the liger. It is half-lioness, half-tiger. Mother Zita is pictured licking her one month old liliger cub
Cute: The first liliger was born in the zoo last year and now there's a second litter of three, all of them females
Curious: The cubs were born in May and now have grown up enough to start exploring their surroundings... much to the concern of their mother Zita
The first was born in the zoo last year and now there's a second litter of three, all of them females.They were born in May and now have grown up enough to start exploring their surroundings, showing an endearing clumsy energy.Their mother, Zita, was born in the zoo in 2004. Their father, Sam, is an African lion. The offspring of a lion and liger is called a liliger.The liger is the largest known cat in the world and holds similar characteristics to both lions and tigers.
Fluffy: A liliger is a big cat breed where the father is a lion and the mother is a lion-tiger hybrid, known as a liger
Just like tigers, they enjoy swimming and are very sociable like lions.They exist only in captivity because the habitats of tigers and lions do not cross in the wild.Ligers are known for growing bigger than either parental species.
Protective: Zita carries one of her cubs as another walks by her side
Their heads are shaped like a lioness’s, yet faint stripes and shorter legs suggest a different heritage. Are these lions or tigers? Neither – they are ligers, a cross between a male lion and a tigress.Four-week-old Aries hardly cuts a commanding figure as he sits on his big brother’s head. Yet the cub will grow to match colossal Hercules, who weighs more than 64 stone. Ligers grow at such an explosive rate, piling on about 1 lb per day, that by the time Aries reaches his first birthday, he is expected to weigh more than 26 stone.
Easy, liger: Hercules, at 64 stone, dwarfs trainer Moksha Bybee as she holds the cub at the reserve in South Carolina
When he is three, he could be more than 50 stone, and a few more years on he may challenge his brother for the title of the world’s biggest hybrid cat. Standing almost 6ft tall to the tips of his ears, Hercules has a page devoted to him in the Guinness World Records book. The siblings, both more playful than pure lions, were born at Myrtle Beach Safari wildlife reserve in South Carolina.
Picture perfect: Playful Aries rests precariously on his brothers head - by the time of Aries' birthday, he is expected to weigh more than 26 stone
The project is run by The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.).
Its director, Dr Bhagavan Antle, said: ‘Aries could be just as big as Hercules and it is entirely possible he could be bigger.
‘Generally lions and tigers don’t reproduce and the male lion breeding with a tiger has only happened three times.
‘The great thing about ligers is they have this extreme social ability they get from their lion fathers.They enjoy the social life and enjoy touching and interactive play.’
Trainer Moksha Bybee, 30, added: ‘The liger’s aggression is tempered by the mother tiger which gives them a greater social capacity. They love rolling against you and wanting to touch and play.’
The alternative combination of the two fiercest big cats – a cross between a male tiger and a lioness – is known as a tigon. They are as rare as ligers but smaller, and are being bred in China. Normally, it is virtually impossible for the two species to mate in the wild as lions are mostly found in Africa and most tigers on the Asian continent. The two tribes are also extremely territorial.Hercules is the heaviest from his litter of ligers, all of them born in 2002. He already has three brothers called Sinbad, Vulcan and Zeus. Ligers have lighter stripes than tigers and a lion-shaped head, but with little mane. Hercules’s face is 2ft 3in across and his 2in claws are the same size as those of a velociraptor dinosaur (famed for its role as a deadly predator in the film Jurassic Park).Like tigers, he also likes to swim – a feat almost unheard of among lions, which fear water.
