The L.A zoo staff pay tribute to the lion partners Hubert and Kalisa.
Los Angeles Zoo Lion Pair Hubert & Kalisa. Picture Courtesy: Jamie Pham
The L.A. zoo officials announces on Thursday the death of African lion companions Hubert and Kalisa. Due to age related illness and declining health that diminished their quality of life, the zoo authorities have made the decision to euthanize them. Both Hubert and Kalisa have lived a long life of 21 years.
According to Schaefer, the Zoo’s Director of Animal Programs, Hubert and Kalisa were loyal companions. They were often seen sleeping together and cuddling. Their strong bond was visible to the zoo staff and visitors over the past 6 years that they spent in the L.A zoo. Hubert have fathered 10 cubs in his lifetime, although he didn’t have any cub with Kalisa.
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The Zoo’s curator for mammals mourns for the death of the lions and says it’s a huge loss for the zoo community. The lion partners have remained an important part of L.A. Zoo experience. “You cannot think of Hubert without thinking of his companion, Kalisa; they’ve been an inseparable couple for years.”- Alisa Behar says.
Hubert was born on Feb. 7, 1999, at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo and Kalisa was born Dec. 26, 1998, at the Oklahoma City Zoo. They eventually made their separate ways to Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, then moved to the L.A. Zoo together in 2014. According to the zoo officials, both of them have lived a life span longer than expected. most African lions in the wild live to be in their early teens, and those in captivity live to be 17 on average.
Zoo CEO Denise Verret said that Hubert and Kalisa are a positive part of the Zoo’s history. Their longevity shows the level of expert care that the veterinary and animal care teams provide for the elderly animals. L.A. Zoo mourns the loss of this incredible lion couple.
There are believed to be fewer than 25,000 lions living in Africa due to increasing vulnerability of African lions in regards to illegal poaching. In that case Hubert and Kalisa’s death is a huge loss to the zoo community. Despite that euthanizing Hubert and Kalisa was essential as the zoo community didn’t want them to suffer physically due to their age related illness as said by Beth Schaefer.
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