27-Year-Old Lioness Saltena Dies At The Wildcat Sanctuary In Eastern Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 27-year-old lioness named Saltena has died at The Wildcat Sanctuary.

The Wildcat Sanctuary is a non-profit animal rescue in Sandstone, Minnesota.

Before coming to the sanctuary, Saltena had spent most of her life in a small crate, used as entertainment in an Argentinian traveling circus.

In those years she suffered malnutrition and metabolic bone disease. "Her teeth were broken and rotten from a poor diet and chewing on the bars," according to a release.

Then in 2018, she made the journey from Argentina to Minnesota, with the help of a rescue group. The Wildcat Sanctuary believes Saltena was the oldest lioness known in captivity.