Birth of park's cub trio 'keeps lion story alive'
The furry trio - two boys and a girl - arrived to mum Amber at West Midlands Safari Park and have been named Nero, Nox and Nancy.
The park said their birth was significant as lions are classed as vulnerable in the wild by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
Research and Conservation Office Katie McDonald said having lions at the park "allows us to keep their story very much alive".
"It is believed lions exist in only about 6% of their historic range, demonstrating severe declines," she added.
"This is due to lions losing habitat and prey to humans as the human population in lion range areas increases, conflict is becoming more of a problem."
Following their second round of injections and another health check, the cubs will soon be allowed to venture into the outdoors to meet guests and explore their habitat.
Shauna Jenkins, senior carnivore keeper, said it had been "exciting to watch them reach crucial milestones" since their birth on 13 April.
"As they've grown bigger and more active, the cubs have become increasingly playful, often seen using Amber as their climbing frame or her tail like a toy.
"Their unique personalities are beginning to emerge and we're all eager to watch them to continue to grow and develop."
The latest arrival continues a recent baby boom at the park, which has welcomed three Sumatran tiger cubs, an Indian rhino calf, two blesbok calves and a barasingha fawn.
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Time Business News
18 hours ago
- Time Business News
Unveiling the Tradition Behind Pakistani Formal Dresses for Women
Among South Asian attire, Pakistani formal dresses stand out due to the commitment and passion for love and cultural heritage that goes into them. The dresses are representative of tradition and continue to be a part of Pakistani social, religious, and ceremonial life. In order to attend a wedding ceremony, an Eid ceremony, or an official dinner, the dress one wears personifies tradition, modesty, and identity. This article explains the cultural heritage, fashion, fabric selection, and importance of traditional Pakistani formal wear, writing in detail about why such dresses remained traditional but modern with the passage of time. Pakistani dress is characterize by motifs of history, region, and religion. Current fashions are found on the rich culture of the Indian subcontinent and were consolidate by upholding their originality. The Mughals left their mark on the dress of the region. They had introduced expensive materials, exquisite embroidery, and elaborate patterns. Anarkalis, lehengas, and shararas, which are now a part of formal Pakistani traditional wear, are a result of the design of Mughal dress worn in imperial courts. The fashion was all about beauty, flowing clothes, and rich ornamentation. The influence can be identify in the nature of formal dressing that is created and sported for celebrations. Provins of Pakistan also possess formal dressing. Patterns of ornamentation and style vary based on local culture and tradition. Punjab women dress in shalwar kameez embroidered and worked on with phulkari. Sindh boasts mirror work and bright motifs. Balochistan features elaborately decorated dresses with dense embroidery. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa features simple patterns of clothing with little embroidery and traditional cuts. These local styles dictate the opulence of Pakistani formal dresses, all of which boast a strong sense of cultural heritage. There are different types of formal dress styles commonly available in Pakistan. One look for one event and one style exist. Dresses are usually selected by a woman based on the event, weather, and formality of the event. The most popular and beautiful form of **formal Pakistani traditional dress** is the shalwar kameez. It consists of a kameez (shirt) and shalwar (loose-fitting pants), which are often paired with a dupatta (scarf). Officially, it is constructed of expensive fabric and embellished with embroidery, beads, and sequins. Official shalwar kameez wear is often characterized by: Embellished sleeves and necklines Frayed hemlines Laced or tasselled dupattas in coordinating colors It is the preference of most people owing to its modesty, comfort, and immortality. Lehengas with a long skirt are accompanied by a mid-knee-length or short top and dupatta. Flared pant ghararas are thigh-length short and flare at the knee. The two are danced on during special occasions like weddings and other formal events. These are decorated with: * Heavy embroidery * Sequins and mirror work * Beads and stone Ghararas and lehengas are the most formal style of **Pakistani formal dresses**, especially at weddings. ### Anarkali Dresses Anarkalis are front-open and tight-fitting at the top with a flared wide skirt. Anarkali is a beautiful type of dress and one that is being employed very frequently on official events. Anarkalis usually pair with dupatta and churidar trousers. They are sewn using fabric like: This is still utilized due to the fact that it is a beautiful shape and gives the classic appearance. Formal wear for Pakistanis is famous for the luxurious fabric and lots of work that goes into producing it. Whether or not to utilize the fabrics and ornaments used is a major consideration when choosing how the entire outfit looks and feels like. Formal dresses are designed with good material for decoration and embroidery. The most used material in Pakistani formal dresses is: Chiffon: Light and fashionable Silk: Smooth and luxurious Velvet: Heavy and warm, used in winter seasons Organza: Stiff and light, used for dupattas Net: Used for overlays and sleeves These materials are select based on their texture, looks, and durability to provide space for different types of decorations. Techniques used in formal Pakistani traditional wear are specialized and customize. Techniques include: Zardozi: Decoration using gold or silver thread Tilla: Decoration using gold or silver thread Resham: Silk thread decoration Mirror Work: Insertion of mirrors within the fabric Beads and Stones: Used to give shine Each decoration piece is done manual and requires time and skill. The decoration provides the dresses with their distinctive appearance and is a reflection of the tradition of hand-made garments. Even though tradition dominates in Pakistani formal wear, modern trends are being incorporate as well. Fashion never stands still, and neither does the make-up of formal dressing. Younger generations opt for a blend of the new and old cuts. New designers nowadays produce clothing using old material and embellish with new tailoring. Examples include: High-low hems Asymmetrical cuts Cape sleeves Fusion wear like long shirts worn over pants All of these articles of clothing give a fresh look without compromising on the essence of traditional Pakistani formal wear. The majority of women today opt for formal gowns that are not just pretty but not bulky. Minimalist designs are making simple embroidery and light colors trendy. Green consumers are also seeking dresses that are made of natural materials and have minimal wastage. No matter more minimalist designs, the intrinsic values of Pakistani formal dresses—modesty, quality, and symbolic cultural heritage—are unchange. There are several occasions that require different clothing styles in Pakistani culture. Traditional event formality dictates the clothing style. The event is extremely formal and requires extremely elaborate clothes. Lehengas, ghararas, or shalwar kameez are embellish by women. Metallic fabric and loud colors are trendy. Eid dressing is fashionable but less voluminous than wedding dressing. Silk and middle-grade embroidery cloth are fashionable. Stone and pastel colors are demand. For elegant dinner or evening parties, women can wear plain-cut kameez and trousers or light Anarkalis. Simplicity and elegance are of first importance. Sophisticated fashion and cultural etiquette are guarantee with an understanding of the dress code for each event. Pakistani formal dresses are the result of tradition, culture, and individualization. From the traditional designs which evolved from Mughal attire to the province-guided clothing by provinces, these dresses remain culturally pertinent. It could be an intricately embroidere lehenga or flowing chiffon Anarkali, but every dress is heritage and art. By dressing and choosing traditional Pakistani formal attire, women proceed to convey cultural identity and experience beauty and style in all social events. TIME BUSINESS NEWS


Newsweek
2 days ago
- Newsweek
Zoo Asks Visitors to Donate Small Pets as Food for Predators
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A zoo in Denmark is asking people to donate small pets so that they can be used as food for its captive predators. In a Facebook post, Aalborg Zoo said guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens form an important part of the diet of its predators, including the European lynx, which it said need whole prey, reminiscent of what they would naturally hunt in the wild. The zoo did not specify which animals the donated pets might be fed to but, according to its website, the predators it cares for include Asiatic lions, polar bears and Sumatran tigers. A spokesperson for the zoo told Newsweek via email that it has fed its carnivores with smaller livestock for "many years" and "many guests and partners appreciate the opportunity to contribute." Why It Matters The zoo's social media plea explained that if readers "have a healthy animal that needs to be given away for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us." It also added that it is trying to mimic the natural food chain of the animals housed there "for the sake of both animal welfare and professional integrity." It offered assurances that the pets will be "gently euthanized" by trained staff. What To Know Aalborg Zoo opened in 1935 and has around 500,000 visitors annually, according to its Facebook page. It says that its overall purpose is nature conservation. A page on the zoo's website provides more details on how animals can be donated. Underneath a picture of a tiger gnawing at a piece of meat, it explains how horses can also be given to the zoo. It says horses being donated for meat will be delivered alive where they will be euthanized by a zookeeper and veterinarian and then slaughtered. When it comes to donating chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs, no more than four at a time are allowed. Danish broadcaster TV2 Nord, said so far this year, the zoo had received 137 rabbits, 53 chickens, 18 guinea pigs, 12 cod and 22 horses. A 5-year-old male Sumatran tiger is seen in Taronga Zoo in Sydney on September 13, 2017. A 5-year-old male Sumatran tiger is seen in Taronga Zoo in Sydney on September 13, 2017. PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images/PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images What People Are Saying Aalborg Zoo wrote in its Facebook post: "If you have an animal that for various reasons needs to leave here, you are welcome to donate it to us. The animals are gently killed by trained staff and then used as feed. In this way, nothing is wasted – and we ensure the natural behaviour, nutrition and well-being of our predators." In a statement via email to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the zoo said: "We have both large and small carnivores in Aalborg. We place great emphasis on the animals' health. We monitor them daily, have daily veterinary checks, and assess their welfare based on these daily observations. For many years at Aalborg Zoo, we have fed our carnivores with smaller livestock." They added: "When keeping carnivores, it is necessary to provide them with meat, preferably with fur, bones, etc., to give them as natural a diet as possible. Therefore, it makes sense to allow animals that need to be euthanized for various reasons to be of use in this way. In Denmark, this practice is common, and many of our guests and partners appreciate the opportunity to contribute. The livestock we receive as donations are chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses." This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.


Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Boston Globe
A bid to undo a colonial-era wrong touches a people's old wounds
Their efforts to repatriate ancestral remains, which have been in a British museum for more than a century, have been 'a trigger for the Nagas,' said Dolly Kikon, a professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, who is Naga herself. Naga society has changed immensely since those remains were taken. To contemplate their return means reckoning with those changes, and with how many of them are the result of external forces and violence. Advertisement Members of Naga communities in northeastern India have worked for five years with the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford, whose collection of Naga cultural objects is the largest in the world, toward the goal of repatriating the hundreds of human remains in the collection. In June, a delegation of 20 Naga leaders, elders and scholars visited the museum and saw those objects for the first time. 'I stood there beside them quietly, feeling a deep sorrow in my heart,' Kikon said. The human remains in the collection, which number more than 200, include a warrior's cranium, a woman's skull decorated with buffalo horns and a piece of skin with hair attached. Naga tradition holds that human remains are sacred, carrying life and spirit. 'They are restless, the spirits will not be in peace unless they find a resting place,' said K. Ongshong, a Naga elder from Longleng village in the Indian state of Nagaland. Advertisement Most of the remains were donated to the museum by J.P. Mills and J.H. Hutton, British colonial administrators in northeastern India. While some were given to the men as gifts, most were collected against Naga people's will during military expeditions into villages, according to experts. For years, the skulls were included in a Pitt Rivers exhibit titled 'Treatment of Dead Enemies,' under the label 'headhunting trophies' alongside remains from other Indigenous groups, including the well-known shrunken heads of the Shuar people of South America. That changed in 2020, when 120 of the human remains in the collection, including the shrunken heads and Naga remains, were removed from display and put in storage. In their place stand blue information boards explaining the contentious collection and the museum's decolonization efforts. 'These displays didn't match with our values any more,' Laura Van Broekhoven, the museum's director, said in an interview. Headhunting was practiced among Naga warriors, who collected the heads of enemies they killed in raids or war. (Despite the labeling by the museum, experts said it was unlikely that all the Naga skulls were enemy trophy heads; some may have been taken from burial sites.) Because of the gruesome nature of the practice, and the way it helped to feed a persistent stereotype of the Nagas as violent and warlike, some Nagas are hesitant to bring the remains home. The repatriation discussions are also touching on deeper wounds for many of the Naga people, who number about 2.5 million. Advertisement That is clear from the difficulties raised, in this case, by one of the first questions in any repatriation process: Where should these objects go? Today, most Nagas live in the Indian state of Nagaland. But Naga communities can also be found in the states of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh -- and in Myanmar. Before the British colonists drew their borders, the Nagas lived in a contiguous region loosely known as the Naga hills, now divided among those modern states. In 1928, Nagas began making formal demands for independence, not wanting to be a part of the British Raj or India. 'The Nagas shared no cultural similarities with India,' said Akum Longchari, a peace and conflict activist based in Nagaland. But when the British left the subcontinent in 1947, Nagas were brought under the control of the Indian state. Decades of political struggle and armed resistance followed, broadly known as the Naga National Movement. India saw it as a threat and suppressed the insurgency. The fighting killed thousands over the years. India implemented laws that gave sweeping powers to its security forces and protected them from prosecution, which experts say led to human rights violations. Although a ceasefire was reached in 1997, the state of Nagaland remains one of India's most militarized regions. For some Nagas, the truce feels precarious, and much suspicion and mistrust remain. Longchari said Naga society had been in a constant state of struggle since British colonization in the 1800s. 'Nagas have had no time for reflection,' he said, adding, 'One colonizer left and another took their place right after.' Another factor complicating the repatriation process is the enduring legacy of American Christian missionaries, who first arrived in the Naga hills in the 19th century. Advertisement If the remains are laid to rest, some Nagas wonder, what funeral rituals should they be accorded -- the rites of Christianity, since that is the religion most Nagas now follow, or traditional, animistic ones? Knowledge of those older rites may now be limited, since the missionaries changed the region's culture along with its religion, said Nepuni Piku, a human-rights activist. 'They did not just come with their Bible, but with their cultural baggage,' Piku said. Naga culture was painted as backward and outdated, Christianity as modern, which led to the abandonment of many Naga cultural practices and rituals, he said. Naga activists and scholars, along with the Forum for Naga Reconciliation in Nagaland, a civil society organization, have been trying to build consensus on these questions and more. Once there is agreement on a plan for repatriating the remains and artifacts, a claim will be made to the university. If the university accepts the claim, then the governments of both countries will get involved. Last fall, a two-day conference on the proposed repatriation brought together community elders, scholars and students in a nondenominational Christian church in Dimapur, the largest city in Nagaland. A college student at the conference asked what relevance the traditions of the past had for the urban world he inhabits. Loina Shohe, a sociologist, replied that Naga culture, like any other, is not static but evolves with time. 'Our ancestors were self-sustained, not primitive or savage,' she said. The Nagas' history has caused them immense intergenerational trauma, Dr. P. Ngully, a psychiatrist in Nagaland, said in an interview last year. He was part of the delegation that visited Oxford, one month before he died in July. Such trauma, which he called an 'invisible epidemic,' can exacerbate alcohol and substance abuse, he said, problems that Naga society is trying to address among its youth. Advertisement Some younger Nagas are looking for ways to reconcile with that traumatic history. Throngkiuba Yimchungru, 35, conducts art workshops that he calls DeConstructing Morung. Long ago, morungs were youth dormitories where Nagas came together to socialize -- one of the traditions lost to Christianity and time. Yimchungru said he wanted to adapt the concept to the present. 'Morungs can be anywhere -- in a school, office, within a big city,' he said. 'They needn't be within an architectural structure.' Nagas' discussions with the Pitt Rivers Museum have also been an attempt to reconcile with the past. But the return of the remains in the museum's collection could conceivably take decades. The fastest repatriation the museum has ever carried out took a year and a half, while the longest -- the repatriation of Tasmanian human remains -- took 45. The Naga delegation to the museum opened its June visit with an Indigenous chant that alludes to the original parting of the Naga ancestors from their creator. The chant concludes with the hope that the ancestor will be reunited with the creator and help to heal the wounds of the past. 'I don't know if the process of repatriation will do the healing for us,' Kikon said. 'But I do know there's a lot of trauma and we need the healing.' This article originally appeared in