Karachi Zoo loses one of its lions

13-year-old Simba was brought to zoo from circus

KARACHI: A 13-year-old lion, Simba, who was brought to the Karachi Zoo three months ago, was found dead in his enclosure on Tuesday.

Simba had been brought to the zoo from a circus. The zoo officials told The Express Tribune that two male lions were confiscated from the circus in Gulshan -e Iqbal three months ago by the wildlife department and East deputy commissioner. Later, they were handed over to the Karachi Zoo.

"At the time of arrival, one lion was very weak and despite our best efforts, he was not taking diet properly. We consulted vets and the lion was under treatment but our staff found him dead today," said Karachi Zoo Director Manzoor Kazi.

The zoo director quashed the reports that the lion died because of negligence on the part of zoo administration. "Despite some discomforts in the zoo because of the development work, animals are being properly looked after. Simba was already unwell that is why he passed away," Kazi said.



According to the zoo director, a postmortem of the lion had been conducted and samples for histopathology had been sent to ascertain the cause of death.  "It looks like the lion was suffering from tuberculosis which is also transmitted from human beings to animals," said one of the vets who conducted the postmortem.  "We have not yet received findings of the medical examination report but according to my experience, it was tuberculosis which caused the lion's death."

Rajo, the other lion brought from Farzand Ali Circus, is reportedly in better condition.

Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar has also sought a report on Simba's death. "The true cause of the death can only be ascertained after a postmortem report," a spokesperson of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation said, adding that the expected life of a lion is 18 years while Simba was 13 years old.