A zoo has recently announced that they made the difficult decision to put to sleep two of their senior lions at the same time “due to their declining health and age-related illnesses that had diminished their quality of life.”
The Los Angeles Zoo said their heartbreaking goodbyes to 21-year-old soulmates Hubert and Kalisa. Hubert was born in Chicago at Lincoln Park Zoo, while Kalisa came from Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. They met in 2014 when they both got transferred to Los Angeles Zoo. Since then, they were inseperable.
“These lions were charismatic both together as partners and separately, but they were hardly ever apart from one another,” Beth Schaefer, LA Zoo spokesperson, told Bored Panda in a statement.
“We have been touched by the community who have shared their fond memories of Hubert and Kalisa with us on social media. The pair’s love for one another created a deeper connection with our guests and incredible empathy, which we have seen through the outpouring show of support from our guests,” she added.
Lions in captivity live for 20 to 25 years, while the life expectancy of lions living in the wild is 12 to 16 years.
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