A lion and three lionesses arrived at the Louis Ariel Goldschmidt Haifa Educational Zoo on Thursday as part of efforts to conserve the endangered species.

The zoo took in the four lions, all about a year and a half old, which had been housed in various zoos in the Czech Republic.

According to the Ynet news site, the lionesses are called Khitab, Kahale and Kayana, while the lion is named Marty.

The lions will enter an initial acclimatization period of several weeks, during which they will get used to their new environment and each other, before being introduced to the general public.

According to Ynet, the El Al captain tasked with flying the lions to Israel has two appropriately named sons — Ari and Lavi (which both mean “lion” in English).

“This is an extraordinary cargo flight which required dedicated preparation,” said captain Roy Efodi. “Beyond operating the flight itself, we were required to........

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