Lion kings, Vegas-style
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Big names in Las Vegas this summer you may already know: Cher, Bette, Elton, and the Pussycat Dolls.
But not to be missed is a new set of divas in the Vegas mix: the 38 lions at the free Lion Habitat at the MGM Grand. They don’t really have to show up for work, get to eat steaks whenever they want and even have their own 401(k) plans, writes Terry Gardner in in The Times’ Travel section:
Unlike a zoo, where lions seem captive behind bars, the soundproof glass walls and floors of the habitat allow us to see lions hanging out, interacting with one another and their human handlers -- holding us captive. ‘The hardest part was to teach them to walk on the glass floors in the habitat,’ says Keith Evans, their owner. In the last nine years, three to five lions have been on view daily at the habitat. Some lions work once a week; others appear more often. Like rock stars, these cats have fans. Evans has received e-mails from visitors who want to find out when certain lions will appear, hoping their children will get to watch lion cubs mature. The day starts at 7 a.m. for the lions that are going to be displayed at the habitat that morning. If a lion doesn’t want to go, Evans sends an alternate: ‘We will not force a cat.’ The lions appear from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily in two shifts. For each shift, two lions are loaded in transport cages, taken into the building, then showered, shampooed and blown dry.
And we humans have it so easy at the top of the food chain.
-- Francisco Vara-Orta