KARACHI: A lion was found dead in its enclosure in the Karachi Zoological Gardens on Saturday.

Sources told Dawn the male big cat was one of the four lions which were “imported” on an expired permit and confiscated by the customs authorities in 2010. They were later shifted to the zoo.

“He had completed its average lifespan [in the wild], which is stated to be around 18 years. In old age, animals could develop any problem,” explained senior director of recreation at the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Raza Rizvi.

He added that he had directed a vets’ team to secure all evidence and prepare a report about the death.

About the lion’s skin, he said that it wasn’t in good shape to be preserved and used for stuffing.

The sources said last year two male lions had died at the zoo; one in June and the other in November. One of them reportedly died of ‘natural causes’.

The big cat had been in the zoo since 2017 following its rescue along with another lion from a circus being organised in the city. The other big cat, a rare white lion, had died, reportedly after his lungs stopped working.

The KMC stated that the big cat had been suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis and was unwell for the past 13 days. The white lion was around 14 to 15 years old and brought to the Karachi zoo along with its mate from Africa in 2012.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2022