New Lion Named Gir Debuts at Jerusalem Bible Zoo
Follow Him: Zoo workers examine Lider, an Asiatic lion, for signs of fertility in 2004. The big cat was later put to sleep, and has now been replaced by one named Gir. Image by getty images
The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo is welcoming a new male lion from Sweden.
The two-year-old rare Asiatic lion was scheduled to arrive Thursday night. He replaces Lider, a 16-year-old male Asiatic lion who was put to sleep last summer.
The new lion, Gir, will join lioness Ileniya, 16, though the two lions will be kept apart at first, the Times of Israel reported.
The zoo is already searching for a mate for Gir, in the hopes that they will breed.
Asiatic lions are an endangered species and in danger of extinction. There are about 300 left roaming free in a sanctuary in India, with another 330 left in captivity.
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