Karen Sharpe

Lions in London

Lions are first mentioned in London at the Tower Menagerie in the reign of King John in 1216 and since that time they have not left the city until now.

ZSL London Zoo is building a brand new, 2,500sqm lion enclosureand so its current resident lionesses Ruby, Heidi and Indi will be relocated to a private home at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire, while the work is being undertaken. Lucifer, the male, was permanently moved to Paignton Zoo earlier this year – it means that London Zoo will unfortunately be without lions for the first time in living memory until the new exhibit is unveiled in 2016.

London Zoo: Asian Lions

Asian lion at the London Zoo. Photo: ©ZLS London Zoo.

END

Would you like to explore London and beyond with a highly qualified and enthusiastic Blue Badge Tourist Guide?  Use our Guide Match service to find the perfect one for you!

 

Karen Sharpe

I was born in London and have lived there for most of my life although I have now ‘decamped’ to what is known as the suburbs.
I have worked for an antiques removal/shipping company before joining the Metropolitan Police Force where I enjoyed a varied career for 14years. Since leaving I followed up…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may also like

Remembering The Blitz On London

On the afternoon of 7th September 1940, 350 German bomber planes attacked London, devastating the docks area and killing over 400 people. The day became known as Black Saturday and marked the beginning of a bombing campaign – the Blitz – that terrorised the city for eight months. Around 20,000 Londoners were killed. Eighty years on from Black Saturday, Blue Badge Tourist Guide Ruth Polling explores how remnants of that period can still be seen in London today.

Read more

Don't Pass Over These Five Jewish Sites In London

When Joseph Malins, a young Jewish immigrant to London had the novel idea of combining fried fish (a traditional Sephardi meal) with potato chips to create the now-iconic fish and chips and opened his first shop on Old Ford Road in the East End of London in 1860, little did he know the influence that he would have on the English national palette. He was not the only one. The Jewish contribution to London has been extensive since the first Jewish immigrants arrived with William the Conqueror in 1066.

Read more