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BBC News
31-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Yorkshire Wildlife Park's 'surprise' over lions' inbreeding
The "shock" birth of three lion cubs in captivity was the result of an incestuous mating between a mother and her son, it has been revealed. The Yorkshire Wildlife Park (YWP) rescued a family of lions from Ukraine and the mother became pregnant while on contraception before the two-year-old male had had a successful Doncaster-based attraction has been criticised by visitors over the "against the odds" event as inbreeding can lead to health defects and abnormalities, according to wildlife the YWP said it did not separate the lioness and her older cubs because it would have "compromised the welfare" of the new litter's father, Teddi. It is thought the mother, Aysa, became pregnant between two vasectomy procedures her son Teddi underwent towards the end of and her first set of cubs, with Teddi among them, arrived at the park last March after a journey from a holding facility in were reunited after they had spent nine months apart from each other without any sunlight or stimulation from the outside park's director of animals, Dr Charlotte MacDonald, said: "It was a very pleasant surprise but one I would rather not have had. "People might ask why we didn't keep the males separate from the girls if we thought that this might be a risk."But it's because they are a social species." She added: "You've got to weigh up the balance in terms of the type of contraception and everything that you chose in order to keep these animals together and they had such a rough start in life, this little family. "To split them up again would have just been horrendous."Keepers suspected four-year-old Aysa was pregnant for a while but said it was difficult to be sure as she already had a "saggy tummy". Most contraceptives available to zookeepers were only 99% effective, said Dr MacDonald. "So, against all the odds, it would appear that he's managed to catch the 1% that didn't work", she added. Aysa was "very attentive and motherly" to her cubs, who were born on 24 March, and all appear healthy, according to the in 2014, five lions were destroyed at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire because they had serious genetic defects caused by inbreeding. The attraction said at the time it had no choice but to put down a lioness and her cubs because they displayed "odd aggressive behaviour" due to "poorly managed genetic history" prior to their arrival. Bex Brown, section head of carnivores at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, said: "(Their experiences in) Kyiv must have been traumatic for them, but here it's as nice and comfortable and peaceful as it can be."The older siblings are currently separated from the newborn cubs but the future plan is for them to all live together." Dr MacDonald added: "We have absolutely no further intention of breeding any more lions at Yorkshire Wildlife Park."They will have a good life here."Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
BBC News
03-03-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Snake Pass closures need to be tackled say regional mayors
Regional mayors are trying to find a solution for the Snake Pass as frequent landslips keep closing the key route between the north's biggest 12-mile section of the A57, which connects Manchester and Sheffield, is managed by Derbyshire County Council (DCC) but it has warned it cannot afford to keep repairing Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the frequent closure of the road was an example of poor transport links in the said: "They [DCC)] are not particularly concerned about whether people can get from Manchester to Sheffield - it's not their main priority." The Department for Transport said highway maintenance funding was given to DCC and it had to decide how best to spend it - whether on local issues such as potholes or on more major repair works to Snake said it was being forced to make difficult choices with a limited budget and it has called on the government to create a national landslip mayors said the government needed to invest more in transport in the on BBC Radio Sheffield, Coppard said: "We need a new plan for connecting South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester."Andy Burnham and I are going to involve the East Midlands Mayor Claire Ward to figure out a solution."It is a big problem."Sheffield and Manchester are growing really quickly. They are two of the biggest cities in the north and they are connected by that road." Burnham said all the roads connecting Sheffield and Manchester were unsuitable."You have the Woodhead but you can't rely on that for the main connectivity between two major northern cities," he said."You can go around the M1 and M62 but that is a pretty big detour."It's the same old story - there is never enough money to finish things properly in the north."We need better road and rail connectivity between Manchester and Sheffield for certain." Councillor Charlotte Cupit, cabinet member for highways and transport at DCC, said Snake Pass was a priority."There are 30,000 vehicles using it every week and it connects the regions but is also a really important local route."She said the road was critical to economic growth but that funding was limited."We need to maintain what we already have," she said. "There is simply not enough funding. "The council looks after 3,500 miles of road and the Snake Pass alone could take the whole highways budget but we have 200 other landslips."The Department for Transport said the government was committed to securing long-term funding so councils could invest in their highway networks.A spokesperson said: "We understand the disruption and frustration landslides on Snake Pass can cause for drivers and local communities."While DCC is responsible for the road, we have provided £75m to the East Midlands Combined Authority for 2025/26 to help support them in maintaining their local roads." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North
