A New Zealand wildlife park says it will be forced to euthanize seven elderly lions after running into financial difficulties.<\/p>\n
The Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary in the northern city of Whangarei said it was closing down and had no choice but to euthanize the big cats.<\/p>\n
“There were no real options left. The staff and I are devastated,” sanctuary operator Janette Vallance said in a statement on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The lions are aged between 18 and 21 years old, which is longer than they would typically live in the wild.<\/p>\n
There were no realistic options for re-homing them at other New Zealand zoos.<\/p>\n
“The memories and legacy of these incredible animals will live on in the hearts of many,” the park said.<\/p>\n
The park notes on its website<\/a> that taking care of the lions is expensive.<\/p>\n “Our extraordinary majestic big cats come at enormous cost to maintain in an ideal environment such as a Wildlife Sanctuary. Feed, supplements, experienced staff, compound and grounds maintenance, vets, and more all exert pressure on our purse,” the sanctuary writes.<\/p>\n The park had also made an appeal for unwanted cows or horses to feed its big cats, which eat approximately three cows worth of meat each week, according<\/a> to the sanctuary.<\/p>\n “We are currently running low so your donations are greatly appreciated,” the park says.<\/p>\n The sanctuary drew minor fame in the early 2000s when it featured on a television show about celebrity big cat handler Craig “the Lion Man” Busch.<\/p>\n Busch was later accused of a string of animal rights abuses, such as keeping animals in sub-standard cages.<\/p>\n A keeper was mauled to death by a white tiger inside the park in 2009. After that incident, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry ordered the temporary closure of the sanctuary, RNZ reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n The sanctuary features 12 lions<\/a> and one Bengal tiger on its website. The park says that big cats born abroad arrived in New Zealand between the ages of 6 months and 3 years.<\/p>\n In the early 2000s, Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary was home to 33 big cats, including lions, tigers, leopards and cheetahs, according to RNZ.<\/p>\n Trump reacts to Democrats’ projected election night wins<\/a><\/p>\n Watch: Zohran Mamdani gives victory speech after projected New York City mayoral win<\/a><\/p>\n