Shera, a female African lion, died Thursday at the National Zoo in Washington after suffering a decline in mobility and being euthanized by keepers at the facility.
At 21, she was the oldest lion at the D.C. facility and one of the two oldest lions at accredited zoos in the United States, according to officials.
The average lifespan for African lions in human care is 17 years, zoo officials said. In an email, Jennifer Zoon, a zoo spokesperson, said on Thursday that Shera was considered “geriatric” and lived “well beyond the life expectancy for her species.”
Her age was the equivalent of more than 100 in human years, Zoon said.
Shera had developed liver and kidney issues, which zookeepers said are common medical conditions in elderly lions. She had osteoarthritis and muscle loss as well. Officials at the zoo said even though her arthritis was “pretty severe,” staff were “able to keep her pain levels low.” Staff assessed her comfort, in part, based on her willingness to move around her habitat.
Zoo officials said that in recent weeks, Shera had become weaker and slower in her movements and less “sure-footed” in her enclosure. Keepers became worried about her ability to navigate the stairs and boulders in her area. “Knowing her condition would continue to deteriorate over time,” veterinary teams decided to euthanize Shera “before she experienced debilitating pain” and had “trouble enjoying life,” officials said.
In a statement, zoo officials said, “although Shera is a very tough lion, her body is no longer able to keep up.”
Shera was born at a private reserve in South African in 2004 and came with her sister Nababiep — known as Naba — to the D.C. zoo in 2006. They were accompanied by a young male, Luke.
When she arrived, Shera was one of the most genetically valuable lions in the North American population, zoo officials said, because her genes were not represented in U.S. zoos. She was known as the “queen bee” at the zoo’s Great Cats exhibit and served as a protective sister to Naba and a flirty and bossy mate to Luke, officials said.
Shera eventually had eight cubs, most of which were transferred for breeding, research or to act as ambassadors to other North American zoos. The trio — Shera, her sister and Luke — contributed 13 cubs to their species, zoo officials said, and now have almost 50 descendants at zoos across the country.
In the wild, lion populations have declined by roughly 30 percent, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature labels African lions as vulnerable. There are about 20,000 lions left in the wild, zoo officials said.
At the D.C. zoo, two of Shera and Luke’s sons, Shaka and Jumbe, are still on exhibit for visitors.
After the last of her female cubs moved to another zoo, Shera “bonded more with her human keepers,” Leigh Pitsko, assistant curator of Great Cats at the zoo, said in a statement. “She watched the group during staff meetings and chimed in with roars.” When her food was prepared in the kitchen, she closely monitored the keepers, seemingly hoping she’d get an extra handout, keepers said.
Staff recalled Shera as a lion with an “indomitable spirit, independent attitude, intelligence and love of food.” Pitsko said Shera “was adored and will be greatly missed.”
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