Zoo mourns the loss of lion cubJan 30 2009 by Allison Dickinson, Chester Chronicle
CHESTER Zoo is mourning the tragic loss of their five-month-old Asiatic lion cub, Chakra.
Veterinary staff were faced with the difficult decision to put him to sleep on the evening of Friday, January 9.
The cub, born in August 2008, had been diagnosed with a developmental disorder which became more apparent as he grew and became more active.
Chakra was the second cub born to mum Asha and dad Asoka.
Kevin Buley, head of zoo programmes, said: “Chakra’s birth and subsequent bond with his parents was a cause for celebration and understandably there is now a feeling of devastation at this tragic turn of events.
“Initially, we were delighted that Asha and her cub were doing so well and did little to interfere in the bonding process.
“However it became apparent that Chakra was experiencing some difficulties which, despite the best efforts of our veterinary and keeping staff, led to this sad event.”
Kevin also paid tribute to the zoo’s dedicated carnivore team for their part in helping Asha, Asoka and Chakra to unite.
He added: “Our carnivore team, led by team leader Alan Woodward, worked tirelessly to enable the family to successfully bond and their dedication had paid dividends. The team is understandably very upset at Chakra’s death and our sympathies and support are with them.
“Chakra was a very popular addition to the zoo.”
Male lions rarely live past 16 years in the wild but can survive longer in captivity. His keepers say Simba lived a long, healthy life at the Zoo, he had been receiving medication for age-related osteoarthritis for more than a year. As his health continued to deteriorate, Zoo officials made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize the animal.
Nearly a century ago rampant hunting had led to the disappearance of lions from everywhere except the Gir Forest where only a handful remained. At that time, the then local ruler of Junagadh, perhaps under advice from the then Viceroy of India, placed a ban on hunting of lions. The ban has continued since then and the lion population has increased over the years. However, the threats they face today are plentiful. Chief among them is the fact that they have limited genetic variability since they have only originated from a few dozen ancestors. This makes them particularly vulnerable to disease. Another problem are the local people who are cattle owners and are having an adverse impact on wild prey population through overgrazing of their animals. Plus there are thousands of wells in the forest dug by locals into which the lions frequently fall and die. Only recently has the government started to raise their boundary walls through collaboration with NGOs. Many farmers have erected illegal electrical fences to protect their fields from herbivores. A number of lions have thus died as a result of accidental electrocution from these high voltage barricades. Recently it was reported that a tribe of poachers consisting of hundreds of people has camped next to the lion sanctuary. The same individuals are reported to be responsible for the killing of tigers that has resulted in the plummeting of Bengal Tiger population in India. Officials are taking action and forest guards are on the vigil but lions continue to be shot and poisoned regularly, resulting in the loss of dozens of these extremely rare animals annually. To add to the misery of the big cats, roads and even railway tracks have been laid across the park, meaning that the already inbreeding lions are forced to live in even smaller fragmented pockets.
