Lions in Cape Town?

I can't tell you how many times we've heard of international visitors to Cape Town being surprised that there are no lions to be found walking the streets of the city. It seems as though many believe that we keep Lions and Cheetahs in our back yards and have elephants strolling the streets. Nay I say, it is not so. This photo illustrates the only kind of lion you'll find wondering our streets.

If you find yourself in Cape Town one day and would like to see the king of the wild up close - and if you can't afford the time to travel to a game farm for a safari, then perhaps you could visit our local lion park, Drakenstein Lion Park, about 40km outside of the city. This park serves as a rehabilitation home for lions that have been saved from canned lion farms. Visitors can view the lions for nominal entry fee of about 3 euros per adult, so do make it a stop on your way to the winelands of Stellenbosch (though I do suggest you visit the lions before visiting the wine farms ;).

To quote from their web site: "Drakenstein Lion Park is involved in the re-homing of lions which are kept in intolerable conditions, both locally and overseas."