Big Cat Habitat

Meet the lions

Cuidador en prácticas. Campamentos de verano en Zoo de Madrid

Khari

Swahili origin that means "kingly" or "like a king".

Khari was born in Blackpool in May 2015 and after his mum Rachel died unexpectedly, his father Wallace took over the job of rearing him. They were one of the UK's only successful coalition of male lions.
Khari was the first resident of Big Cat Habitat after returning in early May 2023 from Whipsnade Zoo.
Keepers describe him as intelligent, strong and charismatic and are confident he will make an excellent pride leader.

Cuidador en prácticas. Campamentos de verano en Zoo Madrid.

Hira

The Hira is a mythical monster who occurs in epic and folklore tales of the Songhai people – pronounced Here-a.

Hira arrived at Blackpool Zoo in mid-May 2023 from West Midland Safari Park where she was born in September 2019. She comes from a large and dynamic pride and has been described by keepers as a gentle soul that enjoys the company of other female lions.

Narla

Aboriginal name that means “lookout"

Narla is strongly bonded with both Hira and Emma and was also born at West Midland Safari Park. During her 18 years at her birthplace, she has seen a lot of changes, from reserve upgrades, to new male lions joining and moving into a new home. Keepers describe her as resilient and tough - making her a great pride companion at Big Cat Habitat.

Meet the tigers

Alyona

A girl's name of Russian origin that means "bright, shining light".

Alyona arrived at Blackpool Zoo in 2012 from Safaripark Beekse Bergen in the Netherlands, where she was born in June 2008. In 2014 she gave birth to two male cubs, Barney and Radzi, who were the first cubs to arrive at Blackpool Zoo in more than 18 years.
Keepers describe her as a majestic and gentle tiger who likes to soak up the sunshine.

Rusty

Rusty, the handsome male Amur tiger, is named after his colouring just like his dad Red.

Rusty was born in June 2019 along with his sister Yuki, to parents Yana and Red at Longleat Safari Park. Male Amur tigers are the biggest cat in the world.
Rusty, who arrived at Blackpool Zoo in July 2023, has settled well into his new home with keepers describing him as playful, charismatic and chilled.

Ensuring future populations

We are committed to the preservation of the earth and all its inhabitants. We support wildlife conservation projects both in the UK and around the world. The aim is to safeguard the long-term future of animals by contributing significant resources towards conservation projects and working alongside local people, fellow conservation scientists, partner organisations and government agencies to achieve wildlife conservation goals.

The Amur tiger (formerly known as the Siberian tiger) is the largest cat in the world and today, fewer than 400 are left in the wild and work here at Blackpool Zoo has supported organisations that carry out vital work with big cat species. Over £50,000 has been raised for the Wildcats Conservation Alliance and a further £20,000 has been donated to the World Land Trust.

Blackpool Zoo is also part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) for Amur tigers and African lions - these carefully managed programmes ensure those species threatened with extinction in the wild have a healthy backup population in zoos.

"We continually strive to improve our facilities for our animals and this significant investment is the latest in a long line of projects that demonstrates our commitment to excellence. Both Amur tigers and African lions face many threats in the wild and we work hand in hand with breeding programmes, in-situ conservation projects and charities across the world to raise money and awareness to help these magnificent species." - Darren Webster, Zoo Director.

Education, Conservation and Research

Endangered animals being cared for by zoos help to raise awareness of their wild cousins and generate money for projects in their native country.

Blackpool Zoo's education, conservation and research team work tirelessly to teach people about the animals and the challenges they face in the wild.

This, in addition to allowing visitors to have a personal connection with the pride, means people will have an emotional response that will spur them on to find out more or get involved with conservation efforts.

Zoos have a long and close relationship with researchers as they are in a unique position to offer conservationists the opportunity to carry out research on the behaviours and biologies of the animals when it isn't possible to carry out studies in the wild.

Big Cat Habitat's CCTV surveillance system will also allow keepers and conservationists to monitor and research the behaviour and lifestyles of the cats as they go about their daily activities.

Blackpool Zoo's daily talks and feed programme will include regular presentations about the lions and tigers residing in the new facility.