The paws that refreshes

We did see white lions and tigers at the zoo. The tigers were moving about, but the lions were calmly napping. It's easier to take photos of big cats when they're sleeping. The enclosures for these guys seemed a little small, but I imagine they can't be put in the larger habitats with other animals due to their predatory nature.

A male white lion resting in the shade with its paws sticking out into the sunshine.

Still, they are majestic animals. I understand that white lions have been born at this zoo and that some of them have gone to other zoos in Europe.

Zoos are difficult for some people, as many of you have noted in the comments. But not all zoos are equal, and, for the most part, I think the days of animals in cages with concrete floors are fading into the past. Many zoos around the world are doing a great job of building expanded and more natural habitats for their animals. Beauval is one of them.

And with so many natural habitats around the world disappearing due to human activity, sometimes the zoo network is the only way to keep a species from going extinct. It's a fact of life these days.