Staff at Smithsonian’s National Zoo on Thursday euthanized Shera, a 21-year-old lioness living there since 2006.
At the time of her death, Shera was one of the two oldest lions living at American zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
She outlived the 17-year average lifespan for lions under human care in captivity, D.C.’s zoo said in an announcement.
The oldest lion still alive at a U.S. zoo is 22-year-old lioness Asante in Topeka, Kansas, according to the city’s WIBW-TV.
As Shera aged, she began suffering from muscle loss and osteoarthritis, becoming slower, weaker and less sure-footed. National Zoo staff decided to put Shera down before she would suffer debilitating pain.
Shera was born on a private reserve in South Africa in 2004 and moved to the National Zoo two years later. At the time, her genes were not represented in any of America’s zoos.
She gave birth to eight cubs across two litters in 2010 and 2014, with several cubs transferred elsewhere for breeding and research at other zoos.
“After the last of her female cubs moved to another zoo, Shera bonded more with her human keepers. She watched the group during staff meetings and chimed in with roars. … Geriatric care required considerable time spent managing Shera with extra TLC, and she loved the attention. Shera was adored and will be greatly missed,” Leigh Pitsko, assistant curator of the zoo’s great cats, said in the announcement.
Among Shera, her mate Luke, and her sister and Luke’s other mate Nababiep, both of whom died in 2022, the three lions have 50 descendants scattered across U.S. zoos. Among them are two of Shera’s and Luke’s male offspring, Shaka and Jumbe, who are living at the National Zoo.
