Oldest lion in Indore Zoo dies

BHOPAL - Akbar, at 21 years the oldest lion in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore Zoo, has died following a long illness, officials said Thursday.

“The lion was favourite with visitors. He was paralytic and was suffering from bedsores for the last 4-5 months,” said Devendra Porwal, Indore Zoo superintendent. The lion died Wednesday.

Born at Indore zoo Jan 15, 1988, Akbar enthralled hundreds of animal lovers for nearly two decades. He was cremated after school students offered floral tributes to him.

Zoo officials said Akbar had been kept out of sight of visitors for the past few months after he became paralytic.

A post-mortem examination performed by the doctors from the Mhow Veterinary College (MVC) showed lung and kidney disorders and age related complications to be the cause of Akbar’s death.

“The lion was suffering from cirrhosis and had multiple cysts in the liver,” said U.K. Garg, professor at the pathology department in MVC, who performed the autopsy.