Calgary Zoo loses king

[Admin Rose]

The Calgary Zoo has lost a king with the death of its lone male lion Friday.

Okonko, 16, had to undergo surgery earlier in the day to remove a cancerous spleen and survived that operation, but then succumbed soon after to unexpected heart failure.

Laurie Skene, communications manager at the zoo, said everyone was a little bit hopeful when the cancer was isolated, “but the poor old guy didn’t make it.”

She figures it was likely a combination of old age and stress of surgery, though a complete necropsy will be conducted.

“It’s a fragile time, just like for people,” she said.

Sadness swept through zoo staff — keepers and vets who work closely with the animals, as well as staff and volunteers who have been at the zoo for years — even though you know an animal’s getting older, it’s tough, said Skene.

Okonko’s decline began about a year ago, said area manager Jamie Dorgan in a news release issued Friday afternoon.

“We could see that Okonko’s age was catching up to him ... his appetite and activity levels had been slowing down and we were monitoring him daily. Over the past week we saw a more dramatic decrease in his appetite.”

An ultrasound showed the cancer.

Skene said the efforts made to save Okonko are not uncommon ­— the zoo would do it for any one of its animals.

“We take very good care of the animals here, and we’ll make every effort to try ensure that they have not only a long life but a good quality of life,” she said.

Okonko has been with the zoo since April, 1997, arriving with three female siblings from Aalborg Zoo in Denmark, where they were born two years prior.

One of the females died from age-related health issues Feb. 19, 2011.

The loss of Okonko now leaves just two lions at the zoo.

Both remaining lions are also 16 years old.

Skene said there aren’t any immediate plans to replace the lions they’ve lost.

“The two siblings that are left are actually half-sisters ... and they’ve lived together their whole lives, so they’re used to each other,” she said.

“It’s difficult to introduce new animals to an existing group ... they’re older as well, and with younger animals this might be a bit different a situation but when they’re older they’re kind of set in their ways just like people.”