A SCOTTISH zoo has welcomed a new arrival as part of a breeding programme.
Transferred from Parc Zoologique et Botanique of Mulhouse in France, an Asiatic lion, an endangered species, has joined Edinburgh Zoo.
Edinburgh Zoo announced it on Twitter/X on Friday, although the public had already spotted it on the zoo's webcams.
Called Bindee, the Asiatic lion is eight years old.
These big cats “can only be found in the Gir Forest in India” according to Edinburgh Zoo.
To give a comparison, these big wild cats live in an area smaller than the Lothian region of Scotland.
Edinburgh Zoo announced on Twitter/X that Bindee “will be gradually introduced to our male Jay over the coming weeks”.
The eagle-eyed amongst you might have spotted a new arrival on the webcams... 🦁👀 💛 Eight year old female Asiatic lion Bindee recently joined us from Parc zoologique et botanique de Mulhouse and will be gradually introduced to our male Jay over the coming weeks! 🇮🇳 It's… pic.twitter.com/P7bpTN6aaI
— Edinburgh Zoo (@EdinburghZoo) November 29, 2024
Jay arrived at the zoo in 2012 aged two.
Jay and Bindee are part of a breeding program designed to help preserve the species, which has fewer than 600 individuals remaining.
The low numbers can be attributed to human persecution, as this species of wild cat was hunted for sport to near extinction.
Nowadays, this species is vulnerable to disease, poaching, and disaster.
Edinburgh Zoo explains that they have to coexist with an expanding human population that also requires land for cattle and crops.
Bringing Bindee to Scotland and introducing her to Jay is aimed at ensuring “a healthy and genetically diverse population”.
Edinburgh Zoo is hoping for a “pitter patter of lion cubs paws in the future”.
