More than sixty people have taken to Whipsnade Zoo’s famous hillside white lion not for a stroll, but for a stomp.
The volunteers gathered atop the 147-metre-long chalk figure to complete the final stage of its major restoration, compacting over 1,100 tonnes of freshly laid chalk underfoot.
Over the past five months, a team of around 40 dedicated volunteers has carefully spread the new chalk across the 6,525-square-metre landmark, which has overlooked the Dunstable Downs since the 1930s.
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But because the area is home to rare native plants and animals, the zoo was unable to use machinery or pesticides, relying instead on good old-fashioned manpower.
To tackle the mammoth task, teams were assigned to the lion’s head, body and tail. A damp morning left the chalk perfectly soft for stamping, and by the afternoon, the volunteers had transformed the slope into a dance floor.
“The atmosphere on the white lion was amazing,” said Sara Nicholas, volunteer advisor at Whipsnade Zoo.
“There were some very creative approaches to stamping – including a few line dances, or ‘lion dances’, to make sure their section was properly compacted.”
The mass stomp took an hour to complete and marks the end of a five-month effort to restore the beloved landmark ahead of a major milestone: ZSL, the conservation charity that runs Whipsnade Zoo, celebrates its 200th anniversary in 2026.
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“Thanks to the ginormous efforts of our amazing volunteers – or the ‘White Lion Posse’, as they’ve been nicknamed – Whipsnade’s white lion is looking beautiful,” added Nicholas.
“Stamping down the newly laid chalk was the final step in completing this magnificent carving’s makeover.”
Owen Craft, Director of Zoo Operations at ZSL, said: “2026 is going to be a big year for us.
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“The white lion has stood proud on the Dunstable Downs for nearly half of ZSL’s 200 years, so it was heart-warming to see so many people come together to prepare it for our celebrations.”
The core volunteer team will continue maintaining the lion’s bright white appearance, pulling weeds by hand every Thursday, rain or shine.
Construction of the white lion began in 1931 and took two years to complete.
During the Second World War, the landmark was covered to prevent enemy aircraft using it as a navigation point.
In 1981, it was illuminated with 750 bulbs to mark Whipsnade’s 50th anniversary.
Now, almost a century after it was first carved into the chalk hillside, Whipsnade’s lion is once again gleaming ready to roar into ZSL’s bicentennial year.
Find out more about ZSL’s 200th anniversary and Whipsnade’s plans for the white lion by signing up for ZSL’s newsletters at: https://www.whipsnadezoo.org/zoo-stories/newsletter-signup
