Adelaide zoo in mourning as pair of African lions with ‘remarkable’ bond euthanised

Australia’s oldest lioness and her paired partner have been euthanised, leaving Adelaide zoo keepers in mourning.

The zoo’s African lions, Amani and Mujambi, died on Thursday morning after 19-year-old Mujambi suffered a medical episode over the weekend.

“It is with an extremely heavy heart that Adelaide Zoo announces the passing of African Lion pair female Amani and male Mujambi. Both big cats are now at rest,” the zoo said in a statement online.

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Amani, 23, was “very closely bonded” with her partner Mujambi and the pair had been together for 16 years.

Elaine Bensted, the chief executive of Zoos South Australia, said both lions had been having regular health checks given their ages.

“We’ve always known that this day was getting close but today was the day that we had to say farewell,” she told reporters on Thursday.

She said the zoo had discussed what to do had either of the pair died, and for the welfare of Amani the decision was taken to euthanise her as well as Mujambi.

“They were both aged, they were both under medical treatment for quite some time and we really didn’t want Amani’s last, what might have been months, to be pining for the male that she’d been partnered with for so long,” Bested said.

Adelaide zoo’s director Dr Phil Ainsley said the decision was taken “very carefully” and included looking at options of moving Amani to another zoo that houses African lions, given how social the species is.

“Based on … the fact she is 23 years of age, the decision was that for her welfare and for her own wellbeing that would not be in [her] best interest,” he said.

“Tigers, we know, potentially can live in isolation – that’s not how it works for African lions.

“Normally you’ll either get a pride or, as they get older, a couple living together.”

He said the pair’s relationship was “quite remarkable” and that their morning calls started each day.

In a statement, Deb Barry, the curator of Adelaide zoo, said Mujambi “was a handsome lion with a beautiful mane, albeit thinning in his old age”.

“Mujambi, or Muj as he was known by his keepers, could regularly be heard chuffing at helicopters and planes overhead and liked to start the morning with a chorus.

“His chuffs would often wake up the zoo. We will really miss that sound.

“Amani was very closely bonded to Mujambi. Yes, she swiped at him, growled and bossed him around, but she also wanted to be no further away from him than his shadow.”

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Amani arrived from Auckland in 2002 and Mujambi arrived from New South Wales in 2007. The first African lion arrived at Adelaide Zoo in 1885 and the zoo has had lions in its care since, Ainsley said.

The zoo would not be able to home more lions until it had secured funding, he said.

Both Amani and Mujambi were undergoing a full necropsy, Bensted said.

Visitors to the zoo’s website can leave a message of condolence for the zoo’s carnivore keeping team.