The lion terrace is listed. Photo: Jan van Galen via Wikimedia Commons
Amsterdam zoo Artis is sending its three lions to an undisclosed zoo in the south of France because plans to modernise their enclosure have been scuppered by the coronavirus crisis
The zoo has three lions, a three-year-old male and two lionesses of eight and nine years old. Their old enclosure dates from 1927 and is listed, but has long been deemed too small for big cats.
Faced with an accumulated €20m loss over the coming years, the extra €4m expenditure for a bigger accommodation cannot be contemplated now or any time soon, the zoo’s director Rembrandt Surtorius said.