WildNet Africa News Archive

Rescued Circus Lion may be "Extinct" Breed (15 April, 1997)

Three lions at Hoedspruit could be black-maned Cape lions - thought to be extinct. The three, rescued from a circus in Maputo last year together with other animals including tigers, are now under the expert care of Lente Roode, vet Peter Rogers and the staff at the Hoedspruit Research and Breeding Centre for Endangered Species in northern Mpumalanga. The centre, along with neighbouring Kapama Game Reserve, forms part of Pretoria-based Gentour Holdings. In addition to her Gentour duties, Estelle Rossouw has taken on the task of searching for endangered lions since the black-maned lion and two lionesses arrived in South Africa.

The black-maned lion, now residing in a 12,5-ha camp at Hoedspruit, resembles the supposedly extinct Cape black-maned lion in that it has a belly mane which stretches all the way to its hindquarters. Mrs. Rossouw quotes from African Nature: Notes and Reminiscences written in 1908 by Frederick Courtney Selous in support of the Hoedspruit three being Cape black-maned lions. 'There is also, I think, good evidence to show that in the more southerly portions of South Africa lions not infrequently developed a growth of long hair all over their bellies ...' The piece refers to a mounted specimen with not only an extraordinary wealth of mane covering the whole of the forepart of the body, but also with a thick growth of long hair all over its belly.

Fired by the possibility of an extinct species not actually being extinct Mrs. Rossouw made contact with feline specialists all over the world, including Peter Jackson of the International Union of Conservation Organisations Cat Specialist Group in Switzerland. He confirmed Mrs. Rossouw's thoughts - there is a worldwide interest in lions and subspecies. Armed with this she went ahead and made more contacts. One of these turned positive when a SA Agricultural Research Council veterinary scientist returned from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia with reports of a lion different to any in the wild. 'Our interest has now spread to include the Barbary lion as well as the Cape black-maned lion.

'Are they different subspecies of Panthera leo - the African lion?' DNA testing is planned on the Hoedspruit black-maned lions as well as those in Ethiopia in an effort to answer this question. 'Hopefully we will know before the end of the year. Our findings together with other international research should give a clearer picture', Mrs. Rossouw said. Kim Helfrich. Courtesy of the Pretoria News.

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