No more lions at Zoo Miami as final feline dies at 17. Will there be more?
For the first time in nearly 20 years, Zoo Miami will be devoid of lions following the death of 17-year-old Kwame on Friday. The proverbial kings of the jungle once sprawled out as a pride, a rare occurrence in captivity, garnering millions of fans, but now their enclosure will sit empty — at least for now.
Kwame was euthanized by Zoo Miami staff as he lost his long battle with chronic arthritis, said Ron Magill, the zoo’s goodwill ambassador, in a statement. In late July, Kwame’s brother, Jabari, was also euthanized after succumbing to arthritis.
They both had well exceeded the average life span of a lion when they died at 17; wild male lions rarely live past 12. Kwame would have been 18 years old on Saturday.
“With all treatment options exhausted and no other path available for a cure or relief, the very difficult decision was made by the Animal Health and Animal Science teams to euthanize him today,” the zoo said.
READ MORE: Zoo Miami’s iconic ‘Lion King’ Jabari euthanized at 17 years old. Here’s why
Kwame was being treated for arthritis, mostly in his upper spine for the past few years. Recently, his condition began to worsen, and despite pain relief, he had extreme weakness in his back legs.
Kwame came to Miami with Jabari in 2008 from the Racine Zoo in Wisconsin. Before them, there were no lions at Zoo Miami for nearly seven years.
The brother lions sired several cubs over their long reign at the zoo. At one point, Kwame fought his brother to decide who would be the alpha and lead the pride. Jabari came to hold that crown and was the zoo’s first lion to share a habitat with an adult female and cubs — a historic and rare feat at zoos.
While Zoo Miami may have no lions in the near future, it has made initial plans through the Lion Species Survival Plan, managed under the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, to bring in lions.
The hope is they will form the foundation of a new pride that will follow the legacy of Kwame and Jabari, Magill said.
Lions are classified as “threatened” in the wild, according to Zoo Miami, and are greatly affected by habitat loss and human conflict because they share over 50% of their home in the wild with people. Zoo Miami funds Lion Landscapes, which helps protect wild lions, and works with other zoos and aquariums to save them and other animals from extinction.
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