Boston, Massachusetts – On Thursday, the Franklin Park Zoo announced the death of a geriatric African lion named Dinari. According to the zoo, the 17-year-old lion lived beyond the median life expectancy of a lion and his health recently declined rapidly.
The zoo said that Dinari’s declining health warranted humane euthanasia:
Recent blood work pointed to signs of chronic renal failure. Following the rapid decline in Dinari’s health and quality of life, as well as a poor prognosis, the decision was made to humanely euthanize him.
Zoo staff shared memories of the beloved lion. Asst. Curator Chris at Franklin Park Zoo said, “My favorite memory of Dinari was his relationship with his brother Kamaia. They were always together, and it was fun to see two big male lions playing together like a couple of kittens.”
And Senior Keeper Nicole shared, “Dinari was definitely a cat! He was very choose-y about when he wanted to engage with us or his enrichment, but he rarely turned down a good nail scratch opportunity on a log or a ball he could swat and carry.”
Keeper Sarah recalled his orange ball, “I remember one time he carried his orange ball into his outdoor habitat, walk it right over to the edge, lay down with it and bat it right down the moat! It was the cutest thing to watch, even if it meant we had to climb down the moat to retrieve it.”
Rest in peace Dinari.
Support National Animal News — shop official merchandise to help fund
independent investigations and reporting.
