End Of An Era With Passing Of 'Baby' The Lion
DENVER (CBS4) - The Denver Zoo is mourning the loss of Baby, 17-year-old female South African lion.
Zookeepers said Baby had been suffering from a number of issues in her old age, and last week she began refusing food.
After seeing her health decline over the past few years, veterinarians made the difficult decision to euthanize Baby on Sunday morning.
Lions in the wild usually live about 15 years. Baby came to the Denver Zoo in 2004 and was one of the first pride members to live in the Predator Ridge exhibit.
She was the last surviving member of that original group, and as Hollie Colahan, the zoo's VP for Animal Care, says, "This is also, unfortunately, the end of an era as she was the last of her pride. We loved them all and will miss them a great deal."
LINK: Denver Zoo
Four lions currently reside at Denver Zoo, one 17-year-old and three 2-year-old lions.