Sacramento Zoo mourns death of Kamau, its 16-year-old lion

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Officials at the Sacramento Zoo announced on Saturday that Kamau, the facility’s beloved African lion, died at the age of 16.

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“The Sacramento Zoo is mourning the loss of one of our most charismatic and iconic animals,” the zoo said in a statement.

The lion, who was euthanized, came after the zoo issued a statement on Friday stating that the animal would be removed from the exhibit due to his declining health, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The zoo said Kamau’s decline was due to “advanced age,” according to the newspaper.

Kamau has lived at the Sacramento Zoo since 2008, when he was 2 years old, according to KOVR-TV. He was brought to Sacramento from the San Diego Wild Animal Park (now called Safari Park) to breed with the zoo’s female lion, Cleo, the television station reported.

He sired a litter of cubs with Cleo in 2014, The Bee reported. In 2019, the zoo built a larger habitat for Kamau and Cleo, according to the newspaper.

Visitors to the zoo enjoyed Kamau’s “impressive roar,” the zoo wrote in a Facebook post.

“Our staff did everything possible to make Kamau comfortable and gave him the best quality of life in his golden years,” zoo officials wrote. “Over the last few weeks, Kamau had developed worsening gastrointestinal problems with decreased interest in food, and the difficult decision to proceed with humane euthanasia was made when medical treatment options failed to provide sufficient relief from his condition.

“Kamau was adored by many over the years, and we appreciate the love and support of our Zoo family.”

Cleo, who is 18, was said to be doing well and was under close monitoring by zoo officials, KOVR reported.