Bellewaerde Park welcomed three new lionesses on Wednesday. Najwa, Zari and Tala arrived in Belgium from the zoo in Pilsen, Czechia.
The three lionesses will join existing resident Nestor to support the breeding programme for the critically endangered Barbary lions.
The lionesses, who are 18 months old, will first have time to acclimatise to their new environment before being introduced to the public.
Their physical introduction to Nestor will occur once they are between 2 to 2.5 years old, planned for late autumn or winter.
Barbary lions are part of a new breeding programme by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). There are believed to be only 250 adults left in the wild.
Bellewaerde also welcomed three baby red ruffed lemurs last week, with another female expected to give birth soon. These lemurs are critically endangered and listed as such on the IUCN Red List. There may only be a few dozen left in the wild.
