Asiatic lion · No. 20 of 22
Two Lions, Two Countries, And A Customs Problem
Chester's Asiatic lion pairing is also a trade-policy story.
The Deal
The Grades
Chester
Assembled a genetically matched pair from two countries for a species down to fewer than 900 in the wild.
The Breakdown
Chester built a habitat replicating India's Gir Forest and then acquired a genetically matched pair to put in it: Nilay from Köln in Germany and Shanti from London. Keepers said the two formed an instant connection, which is the outcome every matchmaking operation hopes for and rarely gets on the first try.
The German leg is the part with wider implications. Conservation transfers between the UK and EU fell roughly 80% after Brexit, from about 1,400 a year to under 300, because zoo animals were caught in the same veterinary paperwork regime as livestock. Chester has been publicly lobbying for the UK-EU veterinary agreement to cover zoo animals.
It is the only situation in this sport where the binding constraint on a trade is a customs form. Fewer than 900 Asiatic lions remain in the wild.
