ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The Saint Louis Zoo announced that Cabara, a 19-year-old African lion was 'humanely euthanized' on Tuesday after a battle with advanced liver disease.
Cabara was born in 2005 at the Basel Zoo in Switzerland and would move to the Saint Louis Zoo at 18 months of age.
"Cabara had an amazing, feisty, and discerning personality," said the zoo in a post on Facebook. "When she was young, she enjoyed climbing the large tree in the lion habitat and taking long naps while Ingozi waited at the base of the tree for her to return to the ground to him."
She was paired with male lion Ingozi at Big Cat Country and they successfully raised multiple litters.
Once the cubs were grown, they moved on to other zoos, mimicking natural dispersal behaviors in the wild. As the cubs grew, they too became parents, making Cabara and Ingozi grandparents and even great-grandparents in their golden years.
Ingozi died on Nov. 18, 2024, just a few months before Cabara, and was humanely euthanized after a battle with advanced liver and spinal disease.
The zoo says they remain committed to supporting African lions through participation in the Association of Zoos & Aquarium (AZA), Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) Lion Program and the zoo's WildCare Institute support of field conservation partner Lion Landscapes.