|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
It is with profound sadness that Zoo Miami announces the passing of Kwame, the zoo’s last remaining lion.
Like his brother, Jabari, who passed away in July, for the past few years Kwame has been treated for chronic arthritis, mostly in his upper spine, that limited his range of motion and level of comfort. Recently, he developed mobility issues that became progressively worse and despite a range of treatments aimed at providing pain relief and a good quality of life, he was displaying elevated levels of discomfort. Yesterday, after having extreme weakness in his hind quarters, he was immobilized so that a thorough exam, including radiographs, could be performed. With all treatment options exhausted and no other path available for a cure or relief, the very difficult decision was made by the Animal Health and Animal Science teams to euthanize him today. Kwame would have turned 18 years old tomorrow, substantially exceeding the normal lifespan of a male lion in the wild which rarely lives past the age of 12.
Kwame arrived at Zoo Miami with his brother, Jabari, in November of 2008 from the Racine Zoo in Wisconsin. During his time at Zoo Miami, he and Jabari fathered several cubs and soon became some of the favorites of the millions of visitors to the zoo that saw them.
Zoo Miami has made initial plans through the Lion Species Survival Plan (SSP) managed under the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to bring new lions to Zoo Miami soon. Those lions will form the foundation of a new pride that will follow the legacy of Kwame, Jabari, and the lions before them.
Lions are classified as “threatened” in the wild where they live on less than 10% of their historic range. Their greatest threats are habitat loss and human conflict due to them sharing over 50% of their habitat with humans and the livestock under their care. As part of its conservation commitment, Zoo Miami provides funding to Lion Landscapes, an organization working in Africa dedicated to protecting lions in the wild. In addition, it participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) program designed to partner with local organizations working on the ground and communities with lions across Africa.
