After 16 years of wowing visitors and producing numerous
offspring at Henry Vilas Zoo, the zoo’s male African lion was euthanized
Wednesday due to late-stage renal failure.
Henry, who was nearly
18 years old, was living in the Big Cat Exhibit with the zoo’s young
lioness, Shakura, up until early this week. He was taken in for testing
after zoo staff began noticing significant behavioral changes, said Jeff
Halter, deputy director at Henry Vilas Zoo.
“Based on the values
that came back, it became apparent that he was in late-stage renal
failure and it had become a quality of life issue,” Halter said.
Henry
arrived at the zoo’s then-newly renovated big cats exhibit in 1997.
Over the years he and his mate, Vilas, produced eight cubs, which were
moved to other zoos as part of the American Zoo and Aquarium
Association’s species survival program.
After Vilas died in 2012,
zoo staff attempted to pair Henry with Shakura. The two were together
long enough that staff are hopeful Shakura is pregnant, but that won’t
be known for about another 60 days, Halter said.
Halter said the
zoo is working with the American Zoo and Aquarium Association to acquire
a new male lion but he did not know a time frame.
“I like to
think of it as eHarmony for animals. We’ll work with them to get the
best match for the female lion we have,” he said. ”The one glitch is
that she might be pregnant. If she’s pregnant it would be a while before
we bring in another male lion.”
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