(Big) Cat Stuck Up A Tree
26th August 2011
It’s a familiar problem for cat owners everywhere – what do you do when your moggy gets stuck up a tree?
However when the cat in question is a boisterous lion cub at Longleat Safari & Adventure Park it’s not really an option to call out the fire brigade.
In the end the overly-confident cub, named Klaus, was rescued by his sister Eva who climbed the tree and calmly showed her brother the safe way to get back down.
The pair are part of a quartet of lion cubs which were born at the Safari Park earlier in the year to experienced mum Yendi, who has successfully reared two previous litters, and first-time dad Nibilo.
Longleat lion keeper Bob Trollope said: “The cubs are just under five months old now and still extremely curious and quite mischievous.
“We’ve spotted them climbing all over parents, running around everywhere and they were even seen at the top of the scratching post the other day – so Klaus’ experiences getting stuck up the tree clearly haven’t had much of an effect,” he added.
Longleat is world renowned for its famous lions which have been an integral part of the Safari Park for more than 30 years.
There are actually two separate prides at Longleat made up of individuals originally brought here from many different zoological collections throughout Europe - thanks to a careful breeding programme over the years, the Longleat lion is now recognisable for its particularly fine black mane.
In order to keep them fit and healthy Longleat’s lions are encouraged to ‘hunt’ for their food - keepers will hide meat around their enclosure and also use a mobile meat wagon which the lions have to follow to get their meals.
The prides’ meat diet is supplemented with vitamins and minerals to ensure they are receiving the correct amounts of nutrition.
Large males can grow to over three metres in length and weigh more than 240kgs. Their life expectancy in the wild is approximately 12 years but they can expect to live to almost twice that age in captivity.