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The Manc -
21st December 2020
The Manc -
21st December 2020 News
World’s rarest lions arrive at Chester Zoo as part of global breeding programme
Emily Sergeant
Two of the world’s rarest lions have arrived at Chester Zoo as part of efforts to protect the highly endangered animals from extinction.
The pair, a male named Nilay, who has travelled from Köln Zoo in Germany, and a female named Shanti, who has arrived from London Zoo, are Asiatic lions who have been carefully matched with each other following what has been described as a ‘detailed genetic analysis’ as part of an international conservation breeding programme.
Conservationists say the pair have ‘formed an instant connection’, and are hopeful that they’ll go on to have cubs in the future.
Chester Zoo has been identified as a ‘key player’ in helping to safeguard the long-term survival of Asiatic lions – a breed of which there are thought to be fewer than 900 of in the wild.
Carnivore experts at the zoo have released the first images of the iconic cats exploring their expansive new home, which has been specially designed to recreate the dry forests and scrublands of India’s Gir Forest – the only place on Earth where Asiatic lions still exist in the wild.
Asiatic lions are classified as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which only reinforces the need for urgent conservation intervention.
Experts warn that, without effective conservation, the big cats could follow in the footsteps of the Barbary and Persian lions – that once roamed North Africa and the Middle East – and vanish from the wild all together.
“The arrival of Nilay and Shanti marks an exciting new chapter in our conservation efforts to protect one of the world’s most extraordinary and endangered animals,” explained Dave Hall, who is the Team Manager of Carnivores at Chester Zoo.
“Now that they’ve had time to settle in, we’ve successfully introduced the pair to one another in a special behind-the-scenes area, and the early signs are incredibly positive.
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“We’re hopeful that as their bond grows stronger, we may one day have a pride again here at Chester, which would be another truly special milestone for the safety-net population of Asiatic lions.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
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The nominees for the Critics’ Choice award at the 2026 BRITs in Manchester have been revealed
Danny Jones
With the upcoming BRITs ceremony coming to Manchester, we’re more all over the nominations than ever, especially now that the Critics’ Choice nominees for 2026 have been confirmed.
In case this rather massive news somehow passed you by, Manchester is set to host the BRIT Awards for the first time ever next year, and we’re understandably buzzing about it.
2023 was the annual Chanel ‘Metiers D’Art’ show, 2024 was the MTV EMAs, and next summer will see the BRITs; gosh, Manchester really is in vogue, isn’t it?
Anyway, here’s who’s been nominated this year:
The 2026 BRITs Critics’ Choice Awards nominees
Jacob Alon
First up is a non-binary singer with roots all over the country, best-known for tracks like ‘Don’t Fall Asleep’, ‘Fairy In A Bottle’ and ‘Liquid Gold 25’. This year really has been a golden one for him, having also been nominated for the Mercury Prize, despite ultimately missing out to Sam Fender.
Commenting on the nomination, he told the BRITs: “Ya beauty! Tapadh leibh [‘thank you’ in Gaelic] for recognising my work for this award, you legends! Even though I’m Scottish and Irish before I’m British, I appreciate the BRITs critics for this recognition.
“I really care about and believe in this music, and it makes my world brighter every time it reaches someone else. Hopefully, this nomination means some more beautiful people might find something in this wee album. ‘Mon the gays!”
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Rose Gray
Next up in the nods is London’s Rose Gray – a solo star who has developed a cult following thanks to songs like ‘ATTENTION!’, ‘Wet & Wild’, ‘Angel of Satisfaction’ and more.
Also the long-time partner and childhood sweetheart of Babygirl, Iron Claw and The King’s Man actor, Harris Dickinson, Gray has been riding a particular wave of popularity over the past year or so, especially after the release of her A Little Louder, Please (Deluxe) double album this past October.
She said in a statement: “I’m so excited for this nomination! This moment feels like a special reminder of how far this journey has carried me and what a crazy year it’s been. One year ago, I was manifesting so hard for my album to travel, to find its people, to really get its light. And it did. Releasing this record has genuinely changed my life…”
we made a movie https://t.co/dKMzWiY4fn pic.twitter.com/MuKAcqyc7F
— ☆*:. ｡Rose Gray ｡.:*☆ (@rosegray_) November 22, 2025
Sienna Spiro
Lastly, in at number three is the 20-year-old singer-songwriter, Sienna Spiro, whose soulful voice sounds like one with much more life experience and years of emotion under its belt; it’s no wonder that she’s resonated with multiple generations, let alone been recognised by the panel.
With big theatrical ballads like ‘Die On This Hill’, ‘You Stole The Show’, as well as heavily-streamed songs like ‘MAYBE.’, ‘BACK TO BLONDE’ and more in her impressive and fast-growing discography, we know she’ll go far even if she doesn’t win – you can bank on that.
She added: “So beyond honoured and grateful to be nominated for this year’s Critics’ Choice BRIT Award! To think I started releasing music last year, I would never have expected this at all. Thank you so much!”
@siennaspiro Die On This Hill Visualizer OUT NOW ON YOUTUBE Link in bioooo 🦕
♬ Die On This Hill – SIENNA SPIRO
Having looked again at the list of people who’ve been both shortlisted and those who have gone on to win it, trust us, you’ll want to be paying attention to this one…
For context:
Past BRITs Critics’ Choice / Rising Star winners and nominees
- 2008 – Adele (Duffy, Foals)
- 2009 – Florence + The Machine (Little Boots, White Lies)
- 2010 – Ellie Goulding (Delphic, Marina and the Diamonds)
- 2011 – Jessie J (James Blake, The Vaccines)
- 2012 – Emeli Sandé (Michael Kiwanuka, Maverick Sabre)
- 2013 – Tom Odell (AlunaGeorge, Laura Mvula)
- 2014 – Sam Smith (Ella Eyre, Chlöe Howl)
- 2015 – James Bay (George The Poet, Years & Years)
- 2016 – Jack Garratt (Izzy Bizu, Frances)
- 2017 – Rag ’n’ Bone Man (Anne Marie, Dua Lipa)
- 2018 – Jorja Smith (Stefflon Don, Mabel)
- 2019 – Sam Fender (Lewis Capaldi, Mahalia)
- 2020 – Celeste (Beabadoobee, Joy Crookes)
- 2021 – Griff (Pa Salieu, Rina Sawayama)
- 2022 – Holly Humberstone (Bree Runway, Lola Young)
- 2023 – FLO (Cat Burns, Nia Archives)
- 2024 – The Last Dinner Party (Caity Baser, Sekou)
- 2025 – Myles Smith (Elemiene, Good Neighbours)
So yeah, it’s fair to say that anyone even in the running for this accolade tends to go on to do even more bigger and better things than they already have.
Tickets to be at the 2026 BRIT Awards at Co-op Live in person for whoever picks up the Critics’ Choice gong, as well as all the other categories, are live now.
If you’re interested, you can grab yours HERE.
Read more:
- The biggest rock band on Earth is coming to Manchester, with hundreds of musicians on stage
- MCR Xmas Parade 2025 – all the important info you need to know-ho-ho
- Peter Hook set for special anniversary Manc show, with a veteran punk band supporting
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Featured Images — Audio North/Press shots (supplied)
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