Can lions be returned to their natural habitat?
Most unlikely. Captive cats cannot be introduced into the wild for several reasons. They have no immunity to diseases in their natural habitats; local wild lions would reject them; they have no training in hunting or survival in the wild, which is what “mom”, teaches for the first two years in the wild. The cost in time, space and money would be great to “barbarerize” a cat back to the wild. Currently the Save China’s Tigers are endeavoring to do just that. They are taking captive born tigers and teaching them to survive in the wild. (see links) What is the purpose for having large cats in captivity? Education and awareness of large cats’ needs, habitats, characteristics etc. is the only hope for survival of these great species. The destruction of their habitat is the number one factor in endangering the survival of many of today’s large cats followed by poaching and disease. Zoos simply do not have enough space and funds to support a broad gene pool base to ensure future generations t
