BOSSES at Colchester Zoo say moving their sole lion to another premises “feels impossible and irresponsible”.
Following the sad loss of the Maldon Road attraction’s last lioness, Naja, in March, male lion Bailey has been adjusting to life on his own.
The zoo’s animal care and veterinary teams took the difficult decision to euthanise Naja at the impressive age of 18 following the “rapid deterioration” of her health three months ago.
Naja, who had been at the zoo since 2010, underwent a full veterinary examination after the animal care team noticed the lioness hadn’t been herself for a few days.
The devastating results of the diagnostic tests identified she had severe heart disease and a possible thrombosis.
Following Naja’s death, questions were raised about Bailey’s future at the zoo, with the possibility of bringing in another companion or moving him elsewhere explored.
Zoo bosses stated changes in Bailey’s behaviour were noticed in the weeks after his companion’s death, including different vocalisations and a more subdued persona.
However, they have now revealed he has returned to his normal self and the animal care team have noticed he is “more inclined” to follow them, with his confidence slowly increasing.
In a statement, the zoo team said: “Bailey has become a big part of the Colchester Zoo family and whilst every option has been explored, including transferring him to another pride or bringing in a lioness, which may prove too much for him, these options feel almost impossible and irresponsible.
“The most important thing for the animal care team now is to ensure Bailey has lots of stimulation to fill the space lost by Naja’s companionship.
“Since we have been providing Bailey with some completely new items, we have been surprised and pleased to find that he enjoys interacting with them for quite some time.
“Bailey’s health is our top priority and therefore our animal care management team is continuing to monitor his health, both mentally and physically.
“We hope you will support our decision for now to keep Bailey at Colchester Zoo on his own, where he will frequently engage with keepers to monitor his health.”
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