Whipsnade Zoo's White Lion artwork 'not for sale'

The former mayor of Dacorum, Gbola Adeleke, wants to buy and restore the White Lion to its "former glory"

Whipsnade Zoo bosses have rejected an offer by a former mayor to buy its chalk artwork, the White Lion.

The 147m-long (483ft) lion, which first appeared on the Dunstable Downs landscape in 1933, is believed to be the largest hill figure in England.

Gbola Adeleke, former Dacorum mayor, offered the Bedfordshire zoo a £1 peppercorn fee to buy and restore the landmark.

The zoo said it was "extremely important to maintain ownership".

According to National Trails, the distinctive chalk figure is the largest in England.

The zoo's chief operating officer, Owen Craft, said: "At Whipsnade Zoo we are very proud of the iconic White Lion which has been overlooking the downs across Bedfordshire since 1933.

"It is extremely important to us and ZSL [Zoological Society of London], the conservation charity behind Whipsnade Zoo, to maintain ownership of the chalk grassland landscape."

The White Lion has been visible on a hillside at Whipsnade Zoo since 1933

Mr Adeleke said he first contacted Whipsnade in 2019 to try and buy the landmark - but had been rejected five times.

"They are sympathetic to my intentions but always tell me where to go," he said.

He said it was a family tradition to take his daughters to visit the lion at Christmas and he was concerned it was not being cared for properly.

• LISTEN: 'Let me buy Whipsnade's White Lion'

However, a team of volunteers join the zoo's horticulture department and clear the White Lion of weeds every Thursday.

"I value any volunteering work going on but I have not seen any evidence of it, at the moment the lion is almost disappeared," said Mr Adeleke.

He hopes to take ownership of the lion and then fund the upkeep of the land himself.

"I wouldn't say I've got the money, I'm not a rich man, but I've got the will, the determination, to bring it back to its former glory," he added.

The giant White Lion is visible from parts of Bedfordshire

Whipsnade Zoo said the White Lion was a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is a habitat for different species of orchids and butterflies.

Mr Craft said: "Whipsnade Zoo takes great care of the area, with a specific management plan in place which is approved by Natural England.

"Due to the importance of the area we only use environmentally-friendly products and do much of the weeding by hand to ensure we are not causing any damage to the native plants and animals that live near the White Lion."

The 90-year-old chalk landmark was spruced up with 800 tonnes of fresh chalk in 2018, but Mr Adeleke said it has "been sitting in that pathetic state now for nearly five years."

"I just hope the managers at Whipsnade Zoo will rethink their strategy," he said.