OAKLAND — The lion exhibit at the Oakland Zoo is sadder and emptier after keepers had to euthanize an African lion that had been there for 19 years.
Leonard, the oldest lion in the zoo's pride, was put down over the weekend because of kidney failure and chronic arthritis, Zoo Director Joel Parrott said.
"To actually lose him is hard on our staff, but we just wanted to make sure that he didn't suffer," said Parrott.
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Leonard came to Oakland as a six-month-old cub who'd been rescued by DEA agents raiding a Houston dealer's home, said Parrott. Other exotic animals were recovered during the raid, Parrott said.
"We just provided a home for them to hopefully let them have a good life," he said. "Anything, but being with a drug dealer."
There are three remaining African lions in the Oakland menagerie.
A lion appreciation day is scheduled for Saturday. Parrott said the species in the wild has recently come "under tremendous pressure."