Calgary Zoo mourns the death of beloved African lion
The Calgary Zoo announced on Tuesday the death of its 12-year-old African lion, Aslan, who passed away yesterday.
The zoo says its Animal Care, Health & Welfare team first noted a change in Aslan’s behaviour on Sunday. The lion was previously diagnosed with kidney and cardiac disease and had been under close observation by his care team and veterinary staff since that time.
“Due to concerns about the rapid onset of his symptoms, our Animal Care, Health & Welfare team conducted a veterinary exam, under anesthesia, yesterday to determine the cause of these changes,” the zoo stated in a news release.
“Although the anesthesia and examination went smoothly, initial diagnostics determined that his kidney disease had significantly worsened since his last exam and sadly he died during recovery.”
The zoo says it won’t know Aslan’s cause of death until a necropsy is done, in which the zoo will provide more information.
Calgary Zoo/Twitter
Aslan, and his brother, Baruti, came to the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo from the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in July 2012 when they were both two years old.
They’ve lived at the Calgary Zoo since then and were joined in 2019 by the zoo’s lionesses, Mali and Sabi. The median life expectancy for lions in human care is 16.9 years.
“Saying goodbye to the animals we love and care for is never easy, but it is especially heartbreaking when the loss is unexpected,” the zoo said, adding that its team will be carefully monitoring Baruti, Mali and Sabi, following the sudden loss of a member of their pride.