Have you met the new Lion King? 

Dublin Zoo, one of our favourite places to visit in the country, is celebrating the arrival of a male Asian lion named Kumar.

Gorgeous Kumar is almost seven years old, weighs 140 kilos and comes to Dublin from Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands. 

The new king has joined three year old Asian lioness sisters Zuri and Sita, who came from Mulhouse Zoo in France last year. Kumar’s arrival is particularly significant for Dublin Zoo as the male lion makes for an important boost to the international breeding programme for this highly endangered species. 

Sadly, Asian lions are endangered in the wild with an estimate of only 350 remaining. The entire wild population of these lions can be found in one place – the Gir Forest in India. 

Ciaran McMahon, who is responsible for the big cats at Dublin Zoo, said, ‘Kumar is a stunning animal with an amazing mane. To put his impressive size into context, he is about 35 times heavier than a domestic cat. Kumar possesses the usual characteristics of a big cat including strength, power and prowess. He also has a really laid back attitude.’ 

He continued, ‘Kumar has great social skills and has settled in tremendously well, he has already asserted his dominance over the females and they will hopefully breed.’ 

We're looking forward to hopefully seeing little lion cubs arriving to Dublin Zoo, provided that Kumar impresses Zuri or Sita with his charms. Dibs on calling any babies Simba or Nala...

 

Viewers of RTÉ series The Zoo will see footage of Kumar’s arrival to Dublin Zoo. The Zoo airs on RTÉ One every Thursday at 7pm.