“And it may sound very stupid, but this means nothing at all for the introduction process. We will just continue introducing as we have been doing for the past few weeks.” A risk such as in the night from Saturday to Sunday cannot be ruled out. Never. It could even happen to another lion in Wildlands. “Unfortunately, that cannot be ruled out.”
That it can turn around like that is because they are animals. Wild animals. Predators. Today, but also yesterday, it looks calm again with the lions. The pride of lions is walking together again. There is little evidence of a behavioral change in the lions, Wijshake concludes. At the very least they are a little quieter. “You always think from the human head that they do feel something.” Again: they are animals. “They can’t talk and don’t show it very much.”
The 12-year-old lion Jafar arrived in Emmen from France at the beginning of last month. It can sometimes take years before a new lion is completely absorbed in a group. “We are now almost two months further into the introduction.” An introduction with occasional friction in the group. “Most of the skirmishes that take place between him and the lionesses involved Tia.”
Tia was the oldest lady lion in Wildlands. Almost 16 years. “As the mother of the group, she sometimes jumped in the gap for the younger ladies. If there was friction, it was between her and Jafar.”
An autopsy revealed that Tia died as a result of a fight. The zoo does not dare to say with 100 percent certainty that it was a fight with Jafar. “Camera images show nothing. It could have taken place just outside the cameras’ range.” Because again: they are animals. “They’re not always pointed at cameras.”