Lioness Kimba deceased
The female of the Chemnitz lion couple succumbed to an illness
The Angola lioness Kimba, born in 2004, died last Saturday.
She was suffering from uterine suppuration, a problem that often occurs in felines. She was operated on successfully on Thursday, but died two days later. This morning, the animal was sent for a post-mortem to determine the exact cause of death. The results are not yet available.
"Birth and death are inextricably linked and dying is also part of life in a zoo. Of course, a much higher percentage of animals survive than in the wild and most individuals live significantly longer than their wild counterparts, but not every animal can be saved by the vets," said Dr Anja Dube, director of the Chemnitz zoo, regretfully.
Kimba had been Malik's mate since 2005. Male lions often live alone, even in the wild. The zoo is now examining how to continue keeping lions in Chemnitz.
Opening hours of the zoo in March:
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last admission 4 p.m.