Fed by humans but learned to prey on small animals
A
pair of young lions is expected to leave their hometown Beijing for
Kabul in May, taking the concern of the Chinese people to those in
war-torn Afghanistan.
The lions, Zhuangzhuang and Canny, will both be three years old in
two months, "They get along well and will hopefully produce
offspring next spring," said a zoo keeper at the Badaling Wildlife
Park, where the two lions were born and raised.
Zhuangzhuang and Canny were chosen from the 84 lions at the
Badaling Wildlife Park because they were fed by humans before being
put in with the other lions. "They are not afraid of human beings
at all," said a zoo keeper, "On the other hand, they can survive
without human care as they have learned to prey on small
animals."
All animals are trained to fetch their own food at the wildlife
park, and the two young lions have learned to prey on animals as
big as sheep.
A symbol of bravery and China-Afghan friendship
Abdul Basir Hotak, charge d'affaires of the Afghan interim
government to China, visited the two lions Tuesday afternoon with
his two daughters and accepted the donation on behalf of the
interim government.
The donation of the lions, which represents the friendship between
the Chinese and Afghan peoples, will go down in history, Hotak told
zoo keepers.
All the Afghan people respect lions as a symbol of bravery and the
two lions will certainly enjoy the same happy life in Kabul as in
Beijing, he said.
Zoo keepers from the Badaling Wildlife Park have wanted to donate a
pair of lions to Afghanistan ever since the death of Marjan, the
one-eyed lion in Kabul Zoo whose life was lived on the front line
in the Afghan civil war.
Their idea was widely applauded by the Afghan people, and the
interim government also said it hoped to receive the two lions at
an early date, said Hotak.
Hotak will go to Kabul soon to investigate the situation at the zoo
and to see what preparations are being made to accommodate the two
lions.
An
international organization has donated US$ 80,000 as an initial
fund for reconstructing the Kabul Zoo. The same organization will
donate more money in the future. These special purpose funds will
help ensure good living conditions for the lions, said Hotak.
According to Zhao Shengli, an official from the China Wildlife
Conservation Association, the two lions have to undergo a
quarantine inspection, which takes about a month.
"If everything works out well, they will fly to Kabul at the end of
April or in early May," Zhao says.
The Badaling Wildlife Park has also started to look for a new name
for the lions - one which embodies the good wishes of the Chinese
people.
( March 20, 2002)