London Zoo to offer Indian-style lodge to sleep with lions

London Zoo is all set to open a new set of safari lodges inside its lion enclosure inspired by India's Gir National Park from May next year.
London's Gir Lion Lodge, which opens to reservations this week, will be made up ofnine private cabins with each having space for up to two adults and two children.
"ZSL London Zoo is a magical place at night - we wanted people of all ages to have a chance to enjoy that magic, and immerse themselves in a fantastic experience unlike any other, sleeping near to our magnificent Asiatic lions," said Emma Taylor, head of product development at London Zoo.

"It's hard to believe you are in the heart of the capital when you are surrounded by the noises of the wild. Staying overnight at theGir Lion Lodgein London's most unique destination will give guests the chance to explore the Zoo on a hosted tour, while helping to fund our work for wildlife around the world," she added.
The ticket for the overnight experience will include dinner, breakfast, an after-hours tour in the evening and an early morning tour.
Tickets start from 378 pounds per couple and the safariexperience will be open six nights a week from May to December in 2016.

The enclosure is designed along the lines of a Gujarat village to enable guests to experience the culture of the lion's native home in Gir, complete with an Indian train station, a conservation centre for rangers and an abandoned ancient fort.
"Guests will stay within a whisker of the Zoo's Asiatic lions at theGir Lion Lodge, a vibrant village of nine colourful private cabins, inspired by the guest houses of Sasan Gir, which is on the outskirts of the Gir Forest, home to the world's last remaining population of wild Asiatic lions," London Zoo said in a statement.
The zoo's newly refurbished Land of Lions enclosure will have state-of-the-art facilities for a breeding group of endangered Asiatic lions and will be five times the size of the previous enclosure.