Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 58, October 2006, pp. 1-13. | Page 6

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used to identify them. However, now it is known that various extrinsic factors influence
the colour and size of a lion‟s mane, like the ambient temperature. The cooler ambient
temperature in e.g. European and North American zoos can result in heavy mane.
Therefore, the heavy mane is an inappropriate marker for identifying Barbary lines.
Mitochondrial DNA research published in 2006 did support the "distinctness" of the
Barbary lion. The results showed an mtDNA haplotype that is unique to the Barbary lion.
This could be a good molecular marker for identifying Barbary lions. They revealed that
five tested samples of lions from the famous collection of the King of Morocco are not
maternally Barbary.
In 1968, a study on the skulls of the extinct Barbary (North African), extinct Cape,
Asiatic, and African lions showed that the same skull characteristics - the very narrow
postorbital bar - existed in only the Barbary and the Asiatic lion skulls. This shows that
there may have been a close relationship between the lions from Northernmost Africa and
Asia. It is also believed that the South European lion that became extinct at the beginning
in A.D. 80-100 could have represented the connecting link between the North African
and Asiatic lions. It is believed that Barbary lions possess the same belly fold (hidden
under that entire mane) that appears in the Asian lions today.
The mane of "Scar," the villain of Disney's “The Lion King”, was based on a Barbary
Lion.
The former popularity of the Barbary Lion as a zoo animal provides the only hope to ever
see it again in the wild in North Africa. After years of research into the science of the
Barbary Lion and stories of surviving examples, WildLink International, in collaboration
with Oxford University, launched their ambitious International Barbary Lion Project.
They are using the very latest DNA techniques to identify the DNA 'fingerprint' of the
Barbary Lion subspecies. WildLink International has taken bone samples from remains of
Barbary Lions in Museums across Europe, like those in Brussels, Paris, Turin and others.
These samples are returned to Oxford University where the science team is extracting the
DNA sequence that identifies the Barbary as a separate subspecies. Although the Barbary
is officially extinct, WildLink International had identified a handful of lions in captivity
around the world that is descended from the original Barbary Lion, like the royal lions in
Temara Zoo in Rabat, Morocco. These descendants will be tested against the DNA
fingerprint and the degree of any hybridization (from crossbreeding) can then be
determined. The best candidates will then enter a selective breeding Programme that will
'breed back' the Barbary Lion. The final phase of the project will see the lions released
into a National Park in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.
The Arabian Lion by the early Arabic and Islamic Zoologists:
Abi „Othman Amr bin Bahar Al-Basri Al-Jahez (776-869), one of the Greatest Arabic
and Islamic Zoologists, described in his Reference Book “Kitab Al-Haywan” (The
Animal Book), the lions‟ General appearance and uniform colour and the different body
parts; and he wrote about the lions‟ behaviour. Al-Jahez wrote about “Sayed Alsiba‟”
(Master of the Predators) and how they came around the villages in Iraq to attack and
devour the wild boars, and the domesticated sheep, donkeys, cows and dogs. The lions

Gazelle – Number 58 – October 2006