Heartbroken: Zoo has to euthanize lioness after death of her partner
Adelaide (Australia) - Adelaide Zoo had sad news for all its visitors: The African lion couple Mujambi and Amani had to be put down!
As the zoo announced in a statement on Facebook, the 19-year-old lion Mujambi suffered a medical incident last weekend.
Despite the best of care, he had to be humanely euthanized.
Just a few days later, the zoo decided to euthanize his "closely bonded" partner Amani as well. Mujambi and Amani had lived together for 16 years.
The negative welfare and aspects of her life without her partner outweighed the positive aspects of her remaining alone, the statement continued.
All options for Amani's continued life had been weighed up for a long time, but for her own well-being they did not want her to have to live without her partner.
Mujambi and Amani were "so incredibly connected"
Both animals had been under medical treatment for some time, mainly due to their advanced age. At 23, Amani was the oldest lioness in the country.
The relationship between the two lions was described by zoo director Phil Ainsley toABC News as "quite remarkable". "So incredibly bonded and just amazing to see this relationship between two very social species," Ainsley continued.
Adelaide Zoo is now planning to be without lions for some time and wants to convert the enclosure of the deceased lion pair into an extended area for its Sumatran tigers.