The oldest zoo in the world has modernised its 20-year-old lion enclosure by installing a new rocky structure for its lions.

The platform – which slightly even resembles The Lion King’s Pride Rock – can also be heated in winter and was set to provide shelter from sun and rain, as well as entertainment for the big cats.

As reported by the Tiergarten Schonbrunn Zoo from Austria’s capital Vienna on Thursday, 18th August, the lions could also use the spacious rock landscape as an ideal viewing platform.

Zoo Director Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck said in a statement obtained by Newsflash: “Our pride of lions consists of two females and one male who were born here in 2008. The animals are already in the process of exploring the facility and have already discovered their new favourite spots for themselves.”

Christine Eder from the Technology and Project Coordination Team added: “The rock structure consists of three differently modelled and painted layers of concrete to ensure the right stability and structure.

“The main goal was to recreate the natural habitat of the big cats in southern Africa in the rocky landscape.”

According to Hering-Hagenbeck, the animal enclosures provide a particularly good example of how the zoo has changed and developed throughout the years.

He explained: “Step by step, our facilities are being expanded and converted in order to make them even more animal-friendly in accordance with the UNESCO World Heritage Site Schonbrunn and not just to make them more attractive for our visitors.

“The lion enclosure was built in 2002 according to the standards of the time, so now was the time for an adaptation.”