An African lion which made Somerset his home more than a decade ago has died. Masai the African Lion, who arrived at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxall 13 years ago, died at the end of last week after a short illness.
Masai had been undergoing treatment from veterinary specialists but was not responding to treatment. As he became more unwell, a decision was made to put him to sleep.
A spokesman for Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm said: “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Masai, our male African Lion. After a relatively short period displaying illness and undergoing veterinary care, it was sadly clear that Masai was not responding to treatment.
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“Despite the best efforts of our dedicated keeper and vet team, he continued to become more unwell. The difficult decision was made to compassionately put Masai to sleep.”
During the post-mortem, the vet team found that 14 year-old Masai had developed tumours on many of his internal organs. The spokesman added: “This confirmed to our vet team that it was the right decision to put Masai to sleep as he would not have recovered.
“Masai was an important member of our zoo family and will be deeply missed.” Masai arrived at the zoo in 2010 as a young cub and over the years, became the leader of the pride.
Masai went on to pair with female lion Arusha, leading to the birth of two male cubs, Kojo and Tau in 2018. Lion keeper, Emily De Pasquale Wood explained ‘Masai and Arusha had a close bond, and they were often found near each other in the lion enclosure.
"He was a firm father with Kojo and Tau and kept them in line. Whilst he was stubborn at times, Masai never showed any aggression towards his keepers.
"He was a pleasure to care for and we will sorely miss his daily roars at sunset which could be heard across the zoo." Masai has been a firm favourite amongst visitors and staff over the years, helping to educate and inspire visitors about African lion conservation.
Masai also helped to promote the work of The Safina Lion Conservation Fund, who raise awareness about the plight of African Lions in the wild and raise funds for critical lion conservation efforts.
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