Bristol Zoo lions move to Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent

The two Asiatic lions, who are a non-breeding pair, will stay together in Kent

A pair of lions have moved to a new home after their zoo closed.

Sahee and Sonika have been a familiar sight for visitors to Bristol Zoo since 2019 but have now moved to the Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent.

Bristol Zoo shut its Clifton site in September 2022, and many of its animals went to attraction Wild Place, on the northern outskirts of the city.

The two Asiatic lions, who are a non-breeding pair, will stay together in Kent.

Sahee came to Bristol Zoo from Paris in 2019 to join Sonika, who had moved to the conservation attraction earlier that year.

Staff have been working "intensively" with the animals for weeks

Mammals team leader at Bristol Zoo, Alan Toyne, said the crates the two lions were taken to Kent in had been placed in their enclosure before they left, so they would get used to them before they were moved.

He and other staff had been working "intensively" with the animals for a few weeks to get them ready for the journey, utilising the fact that the lions are very "food focussed", he added.

Mr Toyne explained: "The [transport] crates have got doors at either end so the animals got used to walking through them, and got comfortable with them being in their enclosure.

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"We then progressed to shutting one of the doors and feeding them using horsemeat on some very long tweezers, so they got used to being in that crate and eating.

"Then we begin to shut the sliding doors behind them. It's all about getting the animal used to that crate so when the time comes, there's no real stress involved for them."

Mr Toyne said the lions had different personalities.

Alan Toyne said Sahee was "lovely" but "not as clever" as Sonika

"I would say Sahee is not as clever as Sonika the female. She is very switched on, does all the right, correct lion behaviour.

"He's a lovely animal but every so often he'll bump into a tree or stumble over a log."

Mr Toyne said it was "sad" to be saying goodbye to Sahee and Sonika, but they were going to a good home with the "lovely team" in Kent.

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