Cape lion (Panthera leo melanochaita / melanochaitus)

[BorneanTiger]

So like the Barbary lion, the Cape lion is believed to be extinct in the wild, survived there by its closest relatives (Kalahari lions were transferred to Addo Elephant Sanctuary in the southernmost part of South Africa), but putative descendants exist in captivity. In fact, one guy who was interested to see if Cape lions survived in captivity was John Spence, a South African zoo-director. Reportedly long fascinated by stories of these lions scaling the walls of Jan van Riebeeck's catle (Fort de Goede Hoop) in the 17th century, Spence studied van Riebeeck's journals to discern Cape lions' features, which included a long black mane, black mark in their ears, and reportedly, a larger size. He believed some Cape lions might have been taken to Europe and interbred with other lions. His 30-year search led to the discovery of black-maned lions closely resembling Cape lions at the Novosibirsk Zoo in Siberia, in 2000. Besides having a black mane, the specimen that attracted Spence had a "wide face and sturdy legs." Novosibirsk Zoo's population, which had 40 cubs over a 30-year period, continues, and Spence, aided by a zoo in Vienna (Tiergarten Schönbrunn), was allowed to bring two cubs back to Tygerberg Zoo. Back in South Africa, Spence explained that he hoped to breed lions that at least looked like Cape lions, and to have DNA testing done to establish whether or not the cubs were descendants of the original Cape lion. However, Spence died in 2010 and Tygerburg Zoo closed in 2012, with the lions expected to go to Drakenstein Lion Park: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/monitor...007452.stm, http://sibzoo.narod.ru/animal/lev.htm, http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/SOUTH-...52f6d011cc

The captive Siberian lions with features of the Cape lion, BBC:
   

John Spence and the lions at Tygerberg Zoo, South Africa:
Sibzoo (in Russian):
   
   


Associated Press:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

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