#lion

#lion

Training Lions to be Good PatientsVeterinary care for wild animals usually means sedating the animal, caging it, and quick treatment, at least according to nature documentaries we've seen. But for animals in zoos, shooting a dart gun at a lion or tiger just because it needs a dental exam, a vaccine, or a pedicure is out of the question. The animals at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute receive top notch care that includes all those things, so a more humane system was worked out. The animals are trained to participate in their own care! Of the six African lions at the zoo, three are considered geriatric cases at more than 15 years old, longer than they would have lived in the wild. They need some extra care from the staff. The lions have all participated in the voluntary training, since the rewards are their favorite food treats. The staff, who always stay behind a protective fence or other barrier, teach the lions to present a body part when prompted. This spring, keepers noticed 18-year-old Naba chewing funny, so they prompted her to open her mouth for them as she'd been trained. They took pictures to give to the veterinary dentist, who diagnosed her problems from the images and later pulled three of Naba's teeth. The same training allowed the staff to check her mouth during her recovery. The lions are so well trained that all six lined up with their hips pressed against the fence to receive COVID vaccines. But this training is not limited to big cats. The zoo also uses this training with elephants and gorillas. The training not only allows animals to show the doctor where it hurts, but also allows for nail clipping and other maintenance, while keeping staff staff members safe and trauma at a minimum. Both links from the Smithsonian have more videos showing how their animals learn to be good patients. -via Metafilter#lion #gorilla #elephant #zoo #veterinarycare   

Lion with Bangs May Have Given Himself a HaircutWe’ve all been there before. You go in for a haircut, the result comes out different from your imagination, and now you have to spend the next few weeks sporting an embarrassing ‘do. The same predicament doesn’t apply only to humans.Hang Hang, a white lion from Guangzhou Zoo, has been going viral for his unusually blunt-cut mane. The “bangs” gives him a rather comical appearance that people are questioning whether his caretaker intentionally gave him the cut. This has been denied by the zoo’s staff, who said that high humidity in Guangzhou could be responsible for causing his mane to hang down that way. They also suspected that Hang Hang’s own grooming routine could be the cause of his peculiar hairstyle.No matter the cause, his new lock has earned Hang Hang tons of new fans. Image: 我跑不动了#haircut #lion #badhairday #bangs #zoo #mane #whitelion

How to Save a Lion in UkraineThousands of people have become involved in the massive task of getting refugees out of Ukraine and to safety in other countries. Then there are zoo animals, who are at the mercy of humans, both those who care for them and those who might drop a bomb on them. British war veteran Tim Locks and two of his friends decided to do something about those animals. Locks was already in Lviv working on humanitarian aid, and heard about a zoo only 20 kilometers from Russian forces. The most dangerous of the animals, a lion and a wolf, were still there waiting to be evacuated. Locke and his buddies ripped the insides out of a van, filled it with supplies to deliver, and drove 600 miles to the zoo. They organized some heavy equipment, including a crane, to lift the cages out of the enclosures. They packed the cages into the van, then drove another 600 miles to a zoo in Romania where the lion and wolf are now sheltered. At one checkpoint, the guard did not believe the crew's declaration of cargo until he looked straight into the lion's face. He said it looked like Aslan out of Narnia. While this lion and wolf are safe, there are still plenty of zoo animals left in Ukraine, with few keepers to tend to their needs. You can read the full story of the lion rescue at Bored Panda.(Image credit: Tim Locks) #lion #wolk #Ukraine #rescue #evacuation

This Woman Calmly Carried a Lion in Her Arms Down the Street in KuwaitA video showing a young woman walking down the streets of the Sabahiya area, south of Kuwait City, with a young lion struggling in her arms went viral on on social media.On January 1, 2022, local officials received a report of a lion walking the streets in the Sabahiya region, south of Kuwait City. The lion escaped from the young woman and her father, according to the environmental police. When the juvenile lion wandered the streets, officers assisted in its capture and returned it to the woman's custody.Exotic animals, such as lions, are allowed to be kept as pets in Kuwait.Video by: Dylan Burns#Kuwait #Sabahiya #Young #Lion

Lion Walks Out of a Public RestroomIn these modern times, a public restroom should be available for use, especially when there are restaurants and shops nearby. The history of public toilets is pretty interesting. During ancient Rome, public restrooms were exclusive to men. Women used to hold it in or restrict themselves from taking fluids until the Victorian era. Nowadays, restrooms are not exclusive to humans. Animals can use them too. @WildLense_India shared on Twitter a video of a lion walking out of a public loo. A commentator said that the lion seems to be a regular visitor.We live in changing times. Animals need their privacy too. Image: @WildLense_India via Twitter#Wildlife #Lion #Restrooms