ISSUE
Friday, August 15, 2025
Volume 16 . Issue 72
When my family came from India, one of the things I thought we left behind, was the opportunity to show the wild big cats, and how they would look in the wild, to my daughter. Well, I was proved wrong, after I visited the ‘Kingdom of Zion’.
Kingdom of Zion is a tranquil countryside retreat near Whangarei in Northland, New Zealand, and is home to the Lionman, Craig Busch.
The park provides a sanctuary to 33 big cats - lions, tigers, cheetahs, and a black leopard. Yes! 33 big cats. Not an easy task to get them here and to provide a good lifestyle to them.
However most of the cats are in huge cages, but care has been taken to give them enough open space to have a fight or just walk around.
What really sets this part apart is that Kingdom of Zion is dedicated to the preservation of big cats. Many of these animals are extremely rare and some are even extinct in the wild. But the passion of Craig Busch and his team has made them survive in a remote land like New Zealand.
The cats at Zion have been with the team for many years and almost all of them are so close to their trainers that they just respond to them fast! One actually made a Lion look at my lens for a nice click! One of the main Lion, has been used in the shooting of the Holywood movie, Narnia. Sure, they didn’t have much of retakes.
Apart from a good day out, It’s nice to take the family out for a field day at Zion, to appreciate the great gift of nature, in the form of these majestic big cats. Thanks to efforts of some environmentalists like Craig Busch, our next generation can have a look at real-life Lions, Tigers and the kind.
To help fund habitat development and the ongoing care of the big cats, they offer a range of guided tours, available daily. From a normal guided tour, to a ‘feed’ tour, they also offer a full-day behind-the-scenes look at what happens at the Kingdom of Zion. It’s more than worth a look.
For more details, you can go on their website: www.kingdomofzion.co.nz
When my family came from India, one of the things I thought we left behind, was the opportunity to show the wild big cats, and how they would look in the wild, to my daughter. Well, I was proved wrong, after I visited the ‘Kingdom of Zion’.
Kingdom of Zion is a tranquil countryside retreat near...
When my family came from India, one of the things I thought we left behind, was the opportunity to show the wild big cats, and how they would look in the wild, to my daughter. Well, I was proved wrong, after I visited the ‘Kingdom of Zion’.
Kingdom of Zion is a tranquil countryside retreat near Whangarei in Northland, New Zealand, and is home to the Lionman, Craig Busch.
The park provides a sanctuary to 33 big cats - lions, tigers, cheetahs, and a black leopard. Yes! 33 big cats. Not an easy task to get them here and to provide a good lifestyle to them.
However most of the cats are in huge cages, but care has been taken to give them enough open space to have a fight or just walk around.
What really sets this part apart is that Kingdom of Zion is dedicated to the preservation of big cats. Many of these animals are extremely rare and some are even extinct in the wild. But the passion of Craig Busch and his team has made them survive in a remote land like New Zealand.
The cats at Zion have been with the team for many years and almost all of them are so close to their trainers that they just respond to them fast! One actually made a Lion look at my lens for a nice click! One of the main Lion, has been used in the shooting of the Holywood movie, Narnia. Sure, they didn’t have much of retakes.
Apart from a good day out, It’s nice to take the family out for a field day at Zion, to appreciate the great gift of nature, in the form of these majestic big cats. Thanks to efforts of some environmentalists like Craig Busch, our next generation can have a look at real-life Lions, Tigers and the kind.
To help fund habitat development and the ongoing care of the big cats, they offer a range of guided tours, available daily. From a normal guided tour, to a ‘feed’ tour, they also offer a full-day behind-the-scenes look at what happens at the Kingdom of Zion. It’s more than worth a look.
For more details, you can go on their website: www.kingdomofzion.co.nz
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