A Summer with lions - July/August 2012

So having just completed six weeks of work experience at Linton Zoo, allowing me to see the lions every day, quite a fair bit away from the visitors.

So what have I learnt?

Lions, like most cats are animals of routine. Zuri and Safi spent nearly every morning seperate, Safi generally indoors in the house and Zuri basking on the platform. They would then most of the time come together around the afternoon time, lunch time til about 3 is the peak time for visitors, and Zuri and Safi do like to show off infront of them, so they would spend a majority of this time sat by the fence or in the shade by their hills. They would then not spark up again til about 6 or so, after visitors have gone, and I have managed to spend a fair bit of time just sat watching them around about this time.

Zuri does spend more time than Safi patrolling around, Safi will come up to the fence and pace when she sees me, but spends the rest of the time sleeping somewhere, whereas Zuri will pace the length of the furthest corner of the enclosure, which backs on to an old pony field, quite often spraying around. I also managed to witness Zuri spraying around the long grass and bamboo in the enclosure, rubbing his mane and body all around these shrubs, it was fantastic to see, and he really was very enthusiastic! It would be clear to any other male, or indeed any visitor that this is his patch, and no one else is welcome.

Visitors quite often remarked to me how amazing it was that they get so close to the lions at Linton, so is there any difference between our lions and any other ones? The lions at Linton were all hand-reared due to all being rejected by their mothers, however there are still a fair few of hand reared lions around the country, none of which will come to the front of their enclosure so easily. The lions at Linton are very familiar with people, but also still leave their private lives, as far as lions go they are incredibly easy going, especially the younger two Zuri and Safi. Riziki and Karla generally spend the majority of their time asleep on their platform or in the long grass. The enclosure that Zuri and Safi are housed in does not have viewing all the way around it, so they can still hide themselves away from the public, or atleast from being stared or shouted at by them if they go at the top, the other side of the mounds. However they do seem to spend the majority of their time with the public. My belief is that lions like most cats, are show offs, and that they do actually enjoy the responses that they get from the public. Human company is just purely something that in this case they take advantage of.

Having never been at the zoo in the evenings when the lions roar I was pleasantly surprised when I spend a night in one of the keepers accommodation, to hear the lions roar. It was clear that Riziki and Karla started, and then Zuri and Safi followed, this roaring will keep going for a few minutes, and then will be ended as Riziki gives the most enormous bellow, and all is quiet again. It is safe to say that Riziki is king of the castle, but if him and Zuri were to meet face to face, it would be very interesting to see how they would match. When I went to see the lions after I had finished my last day, Riziki and Karla started roaring around 7 o'clock while I was watching Zuri and Safi, and Safi started to join in, with Zuri not bothering for that moment. However when I went back to my car they started again, so I spent ten minutes sat listening, and it was absolutely fantastic, all four lions in chorus. It really is the most amazing sound, it really does go straight through you. 

I have put up all of my pictures from the Summer up on the blog, so I hope you will find them.

I do definately believe that this six week set of Work Experience has not only enhanced my future career as a zookeeper, but has been a fantastic way to improve my relations with the lions at the zoo. I made sure that I saw them every day, so even though they were used to me, they are now used to seeing me every day. Zuri and Safi are now very well accustomed to my voice, as I talk to them regularly when I go and see them, with quite a lot of usage of their names. Now if I call them and they are asleep, they will raise their heads and 90% of the time will come down to say hello, the other 10% of the time they will stay were they are, generally in the hot weather, and I have to say I do not blame them at all!

Overall I am very happy with how my relationship with this two has grown over the past six weeks, they are more than happy and content to come and say hello, and quite often rest a couple of feet as to where I am sitting. Zuri has now even started getting fairly vocal with me, producing these rather moany-groany noises, which I have only ever seen him use when the keeper who reared him comes over to say hello, so that leads me to think that it is a good thing! Safi remains as much as a show off as she has always been, and regularly purrs, as far as purrs go it is more of a grumble than that of a normal house cat but it is produced in the same way. All of these noises and signs prove that they are at least in content in my company, something that I am very lucky to have happen, and something that I have put an incredible amount of time into, and I couldn't wish for anymore!

If I do go and see the lions in my lunch break, because of my zoo uniform, visitors will quite often ask questions and I more than happy to answer, them so I was very surprised to see this on tripadvisor, pictured below!

It is clear to me, that education is such an important tool to be used in the zoo world, and if I can prove to some people, how wonderful these cats are, then I can't think of anything better. Most people think of these cats as blood-thirsty beats, however if you get to know them, they are just like any animal and they are more than happy for a bit of human company.