A New Zealand wildlife park says it will be forced to euthanize seven elderly lions after running into financial difficulties.
The Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary in the northern city of Whangarei said it was closing down and had no choice but to euthanize the big cats.
“There were no real options left. The staff and I are devastated,” sanctuary operator Janette Vallance said in a statement on Tuesday.
The lions are aged between 18-21 years old, which is longer than they would typically live in the wild.
There were no realistic options for re-homing them at other New Zealand zoos.
“The memories and legacy of these incredible animals will live on in the hearts of many,” the park said.
The park notes on its website that taking care of the lions is expensive.
“Our extraordinary majestic big cats come at enormous cost to maintain in an ideal environment such as a Wildlife Sanctuary. Feed, supplements, experienced staff, compound and grounds maintenance, vets, and more all exert pressure on our purse,” the sanctuary writes.
The park had also made an appeal for unwanted to cows or horses to feed its big cats, which eat approximately three cows worth of meat each week, according to the sanctuary.
“We are currently running low so your donations are greatly appreciated,” the park says.
The sanctuary drew minor fame in the early 2000s when it featured on a television show about celebrity big cat handler Craig “the Lion Man” Busch.
Busch was later accused of a string of animal rights abuses, such as keeping animals in sub-standard cages.
A keeper was mauled to death by a white tiger inside the park in 2009. After that incident, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry ordered the temporary closure of the sanctuary, RNZ reported.
The sanctuary features 12 lions and one Bengal tiger on its website. The parks says that big cats born abroad arrived in New Zealand between the ages of six months and three years.
In the early 2000s, Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary was home to 33 big cats, including lions, tigers, leopards and cheetahs, according to RNZ.
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