Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort takes up mane issues

It is with a sense of apprehension that I make my way towards the new white lion enclosure at the Al Ain Wildlife Park and Resort (AWPR). My trepidation has little to do with fear of lions, but rather a reverence for them. It's been a long time since I last saw Africa's carnivorous kings; it's been some time since I last visited our shared Sub-Saharan home.

I have mixed emotions trying to meet the strange, curious gazes of the blue-eyed 18-month-old white lion siblings Sanbona and Shamwari whenever they come up close to the glass in their enclosure. If it weren't for conservation efforts such as those of the AWPR, the tawny African lion may well cease to exist in the wild not too many years from now. Case in point: the white lion has already suffered this fate; today worldwide they can only be found in captivity.

Fifty years ago, the lion population exceeded 450,000. But today, a mere 20,000 survive in the wild. Sanbona (male) and lioness Shamwari's kind are less lucky. They only continue to exist because of the protective efforts - such as those of the AWPR - that offer a glimmer of hope that the tenuous bond between man and lion might one day be restored.

Farshid Mehrdadfar, AWPR's animal collection manager, accompanies me on the drive towards the lion enclosure. "Up until now, the lions had very little contact with humans," he explains. "Since acquiring them, we have had to work at breaking down and reversing learned behaviours through hands-on work so that they become more used to human contact. We've had to work towards building a relationship premised on trust. It's truly amazing to see the extent to which they have accepted this trust in such a short space of time."

Mehrdadfar explains that the aim of having these lions in Al Ain is to relay a conservation message through an interpretative narrative between man and lion. Through the safety zone, which will soon be introduced, visitors will be allowed to interact with the lions. The hope is that the relationship forged might bridge the tenuous connection.

"These lions are ambassadors not only for the white lion, but for the tawny lion too," explains Mehrdadfar. "We hope to cultivate pride in the UAE - pride in the country's natural environment and pride for its wildlife."

Leaping from the cart, I catch an awesome sight. While much of the enclosure is shrouded in shadow, a small patch of sunlight falls in an area where Sanbona paces. His shoulder muscles ripple silver in the morning light, his coat glinting with a sheen of white gold. He stops momentarily, turns to face us and then starts prowling towards us. He pauses in front of the glass, cocks his head to one side, curious, mouth slightly ajar revealing a set of gleaming, slightly intimidating teeth. He sports a white Mohawk that gives him a comically adolescent look. His eyes are piercingly blue and inquisitive. He paws the glass playfully while his sister Shamwari casts him what I imagine to be the petulant look typical of a sister.

These few minutes are sufficient to recognise their individual personalities. Sanbona, the alpha male, is naturally the dominant sibling while Shamwari tends to be a trifle reticent and is content to let him take the lead.

But a few moments later curiosity gets the better of Shamwari too. She eventually sidles up to the glass to get a better look. Being the more temperamental female, she growls a bit and gnashes her teeth. Sanbona by this stage is rather bored by us and ambles up the enormous rock in the enclosure to enjoy the winter rays.

In the corner is a small separate room protected by wire gauze where I can make out the lion's trainer, Bridget Tighe, who observes the lions' behaviour for hours when not busy training them. She steps out to meet us. "I travelled with the lions from South Africa on November 16 last year," she begins. "I admit that it was a pretty stressful procedure. We immobilised the lions at the Sanbona Wildlife Reserve and transported them to Cape Town airport to fly them on Emirates to Dubai. It was a long flight for us, all being rather nervous."

On arrival, the animals were naturally anxious to find themselves in an unfamiliar environment, explains Tighe. Shamwari was particularly stressed out.

Once they had time to adjust to their new home, Tighe could begin the training process. "You wouldn't believe these were the same lions if you'd seen them on arrival," she beams like a proud mom. "Previously they were very aggressive, not being used to regular human contact. But by training them with a whistle and baton, I am reinforcing calm behaviour. It is like working with kids really!"

Tighe has extensive experience training animals having studied zoology. She also worked at the San Diego Zoo as well as the Phoenix Zoo in the US. She has been working with big cats for 18 years and has been with AWPR for almost a year.

"I've worked with a variety of animal species, but I particularly enjoy the connection to be had with the big cats. In the initial stages there was so much to learn from these two white lions. It's amazing to see just how far they've come in these few weeks.

"They're able to put their noses to targets. They listen to commands when they need to shift rooms. They allow me to inspect their paw pads. After extensive training, they open their mouths to allow me to check their teeth and they also offer their hinds voluntarily for vaccinations. The big key in training is consistency," she continues.

"I reinforce good behaviour through rewards and tend to ignore their bad behaviour, which frustrates them like it frustrates any temperamental kid! The ultimate aim is for the public to experience similar husbandry so that they too may have access to their behaviour patterns.

"To me, these lions are ambassadors in that they are different. Their colour piques people's interest. And when people are interested, awareness is raised," she says.

On a typical day, Tighe arrives at 7:30am and "hangs out" with the playful pair until breakfast time. The lions are fed minced meat loaded with specific minerals and nutrients; they usually gnaw on a 3kg beef bone during the day.

Tighe is already working towards introducing Shamwari and Sanbona to the safety zone. Many people might argue that training negates these lions' wild nature. But what Tighe is doing is enforcing what she calls ‘protective training'. This is a means of minimising their stress.

"I'm well aware that these are still very wild, very dangerous animals. I'm never intrusive of their space," she says. "The plight of lions is very grim now,'' she says. "By visiting AWPR, people are not only educated about lions but are also putting money into several conservation efforts to ensure the survival of these animals."

Dr Mike Maunder, director of collections, conservation, horticulture and education, met me to explain why the white lion is particularly unique.

"There is a great interest in lions as a whole, but people are even more attracted to that which is different," he says. But what is it exactly that sets white lions apart from tawny lions?

Dr Maunder explains that white lions have a natural colour mutation; they are not albino. Their unique skin and hair pigmentation is caused by the presence of a recessive gene called chinchilla, which is a colour inhibitor. Their eyes, paw pads and skin is bluish in colour. While they were first documented in 1972 in the Kruger National Park in South Africa, African legends suggest that white lions have been around for much longer.

"We are most privileged here at the AWPR to have been given these two ambassador animals by Sanbona in light of our efforts to preserve carnivores," says Dr Maunder. "There has been a catastrophic decline in the world's lion population. Where once the African lion population spread from South Africa to the Atlas Mountains in North Africa, and from Mesopotamia to India, today, wild African lions are mostly found in protected reserves in Africa. Every day, we're losing the African lion. Many are concerned - myself included - that wild lions will die out completely within a few years.

"There is an imperative scientific need to keep these animals in the wild. The reason for their population collapse is that it is difficult for humans and lions to live together harmoniously. As human populations have grown, settlements have encroached into lion territory. The lions eat the peoples' livestock and as a result, people kill lions. The lions' rapid decline is a result of a combination of this ongoing conflict with herdsmen as well as habitat loss and hunting."

The solution, Dr Maunder says, lies in balancing the needs of humans and lions. "In parts of Northern Kenya, they have done this most successfully by acknowledging the importance of the lion as a symbol for the value of conserving the species as a vital part of our ecosystem," says Dr Maunder.

These lions bring home to us the importance of biodiversity. "We want to show the UAE and the world why it is important to support conservation efforts," he says. "AWPR builds on the legacy of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. We're wholly focussed on conservation, interpretation and education, with particular focus on the conservation of carnivores.

"Education is vital in order to introduce children to wildlife in a world where children have been starved of this kind of interaction. With these lions, we offer exposure in a tangible, intimate form. We move closer to sustainability through educating our children. They need to be educated in the importance of sustainable biodiversity for our future. From air to water to food and wildlife, we need to do what we can to ensure that it's still available to our children's children. I believe that can be achieved through conservation education."

Nurturing this fragile relationship between man and lion so that each no longer perceives the other as a threat, is vital to their future. Seeing the fragility of this connection acknowledged and worked at and reinforced by bodies such as the AWPR, gives me hope that man and lion may be reconnected here so as to serve as a model for wildlife sustainability worldwide.

For more information, visit www.awpr.ae