The lost lions of Ethiopia

Emperor Haile Selassie, ‘the conquering lion of the tribe of Judah’ and a direct descendant of Solomon, was an animal lover. Lions were taken from the wild in Ethiopia for his private menagerie.

Their descendants have lived in Addis Ababa Zoo ever since. Slightly smaller than other African ones, Ethiopian males have distinctive dark manes extending down their breasts and along their bellies.

Five years ago, scientists ran DNA tests on 15 of the Addis Zoo’s 20 lions. The animals proved to be unique, their genes uncontaminated by ones from elsewhere. Though not sufficiently unique to merit ‘species’ or ‘sub-species’ designation, they were genetically distinct enough to justify special conservation efforts. However, this was seen as a lost cause; few, if any, wild lions were thought to remain in Ethiopia or in nearby Sudan.