One lion and three lionesses arrived at the Louis Ariel Goldschmidt Haifa Educational Zoo on Thursday, the zoo reports.
The zoo took in the four lions, about a year and a half old, as part of its ongoing efforts to conserve an endangered species. The lions had been housed in various zoos in the Czech Republic.
The Haifa zoo currently houses two other endangered cat species — the white Bengal tiger and the Persian leopard.
The lions will enter an initial acclimatization period of several weeks, during which they will get used to their new environment and each other before being introduced to the general public.
“We must continue to preserve such species so that they do not disappear for future generations,” says Haifa Deputy Mayor Yossi Shalom.
Zoo staff members herd the lions, along with other animals, into indoor chambers or rooms made of solid concrete to take shelter from Iranian missiles or Hezbollah rockets.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 29, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
