A lioness died "almost instantly" after being attacked by another lion at a popular safari park. Guests at the park were moved to a different area following the attack at Longleat Safari Park on New Year's Day.
The Wiltshire zoo has confirmed the incident. A spokesman said keepers were on the scene immediately but were unable to save the animal.
One visitor wrote on social media that they were held up in the enclosure. They told how they could see the lioness not moving on the floor after suffering injuries, reports Wiltshire Live.
The incident happened the early afternoon of January 1, 2023, when guests at the safari park reported being diverted away from the lion enclosure due to an unknown major incident. At the time, what had happened was unclear to visitors but the attack was later confirmed.
A Longleat spokesman said: "This weekend (1st January 2023) saw one of the lionesses at Longleat sadly killed by another lion. This kind of incident is very rare but can naturally occur amongst apex predators.
"It happened incredibly quickly, with the lioness dying almost instantly. Our professional keepers were immediately on the scene, however the timescales involved meant there was no possibility of intervention. There was no risk to guests."
The death has sparked fresh calls from wildlife conservation charity The Born Free Foundation that animals such as lions should not be kept in captivity. Chris Lewis, Born Free’s Captivity Research Officer said: “These incidents highlight one of the many reasons why these species should not be kept in captivity.
"These animals are denied the opportunity to choose their own mates, and lack the ability to escape aggressive interactions. Combine this with the unnatural social behaviour that is so common among wild animals that are confined in captive environments, and you have a recipe for these kinds of tragic consequences.
“Zoos cannot claim that their facilities are the safest place for these animals, while at the same time trying to justify the occurrence of such incidents as ‘natural’.”
The charity said in a statement that the captive breeding programme for lions, along with the majority of zoo breeding programmes "simply produces additional individuals for the zoo population". It added: "Individual big cats that are born in captivity are never likely to be reintroduced into the wild, given their genetic, social and behavioural unsuitability. There is no good conservation justification for keeping and breeding lions in zoos.
"Wild lion populations have seen a dramatic decrease in recent decades. Today it is estimated that fewer than 20,000 remain in the wild. Lions are officially listed as Vulnerable to extinction on the IUCN Red List. They face multiple threats including loss of habitat and a consequent increase in conflict with communities living adjacent to and within lion ranges.
"Born Free is committed to genuine lion conservation by working alongside our partners in Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan to safeguard remaining lion populations. Since 2010, when Born Free’s lion conservation work really took off in Kenya, the lion population has seen a 25% increase. Born Free’s ongoing initiatives work with local communities to promote co-existence and facilitate people and wildlife living together more harmoniously."
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