In a world first, a lion which was captive born in the UK and subsequently rewilded to the South African wilderness by The Aspinall Foundation, has against all expert opinion, made his first successful kill in South Africa.
In May 2022, two male lions named Azi and Zazu, one year and ten months old at the time of relocation, departed from their home at The Aspinall Foundation’s partner park: Howletts Wild Animal Park in the Kent countryside. Their destination, a specialist sanctuary run by Love Lions Alive in Free State province, South Africa.
Azi and Zazu were born at Port Lympne Reserve but were both sadly rejected by the pride in infancy. Due to the resulting health concerns, they were transferred to Howletts and hand-raised by The Aspinall Foundation’s chairman, Damian Aspinall, and the dedicated Howletts team.
Under the care of Damian and his team, Azi and Zazu flourished and became firm favourites around the park. However, The Aspinall Foundation and their partners at Howletts and Port Lympne are committed to a shared belief that, where possible, animals deserve the opportunity to live in the wild. Led by this deep conviction, The Aspinall Foundation worked closely with the teams at Howletts and Love Lions Alive to find Azi and Zazu a safe, new home amidst the lush grasslands and dramatic outcrops of Limpopo.
The first step of Azi and Zazu’s journey was an acclimatisation area at Love Lion Alive’s sanctuary in Free State Province. Damian Aspinall personally helped them settle into their new home due to his uniquely close bond with them. Together, they roamed the area, ten times the size of their previous enclosure and enjoyed the African sun as they acclimatised to their new surroundings.
After two years of careful preparation, the lions recently graduated to the second stage of their rewilding journey: learning to hunt for themselves in a large, dedicated area in Limpopo province.
According to many conservation experts, it is impossible to rehabilitate captive born lions to the wild as they’ll never be able to fend for themselves. Once again, The Aspinall Foundation has proved them wrong.
In August 2024 Azi showed that all of his natural instincts remained razor sharp despite his captive birth and made his first kill. He was captured enjoying his hard-won zebra feast on camera by The Aspinall Foundation, a world first.
“We always believed that this relocation would give Azi and Zazu the best future possible. The zooracrats insisted it would never work and advised that captive born lions would never learn to fend for themselves, but once again we have proved them wrong. It brings me immense joy to see the boys living life in the wild rather than languishing in a zoo.
The third and final stage of Azi and Zazu’s journey will be release into a carefully selected area of protected wilderness, where they will live wild and free. The Aspinall Foundation team will continue to monitor the lions using tracking collars to ensure their safety, even after their final release.