Rare Atlas Lion from Morocco Joins Paris Zoo, Set to Meet Public After Quarantine

Leaving Rabat, Morocco, on Wednesday, Volcan, a 9-year-old breeding male with a majestic mane, weighing 214 kg, was installed at the Paris Zoological Park, in the Bois de Vincennes in the 12th arrondissement. "He is very calm, [...], in very good shape," it was indicated at the park, stressing that he will be "isolated for two weeks, the time for him to acclimatize, and to take blood samples" reports Le Parisien, continuing that he will be placed within the Parisian clan composed of three females and a young lion, castrated for medical reasons.

"We had been waiting for him for a year and a half. He is not necessarily there for the reproduction of the females, but above all to ensure the cohesion of the group. And it is very moving to see this so charismatic animal arrive here," said the veterinarian and scientific director of the zoological park.

To recall, the park’s veterinary teams had spotted the lion in Rabat, at a time when they were providing care to an elephant. "He was the most beautiful. We really wanted him," they said. The zoological park then managed to obtain him as part of an international partnership. After the confinement, visitors will be able to admire him with his congeners, in an open space.