Cancer takes zoo’s oldest lion at 20

LITTLE ROCK — The Little Rock Zoo’s oldest lion died of liver cancer Tuesday evening, zoo officials said Thursday.

Zoo staff members discovered Nyla, 20, early Wednesday morning, zoo spokesman Susan Altrui said. The lioness had outlived several of her zoo and wildlife counterparts, who typically live through their early to later teens, she said.

Nyla and her female companion Sydney joined the Little Rock Zoo in 2000 after the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, Mo., donated them. The two had been pets in Missouri before being rescued by the Springfield zoo, Altrui said.

When the lionesses arrived, their front paws had been declawed and their incisors filed down, common practices of the pet trade, Altrui said. Pet owners think the practices will prevent accidents, but it only prevents the animal from fully defending itself, she said.

“We think it’s a cruelty that’s unnecessary,” she said.

But Nyla was hardly the dominant lioness, even in 2008 when zoo officials introduced Bakari, a male lion, into the pride. Nyla acted as the mediator between Sydney and Bakari, who took several months to get along.

“[Nyla] was the first one to touch him and rub heads with him,” said Kate Barszczowski, the zoo’s big-cat keeper. “Then they were best buddies. They were always out in the yard being affectionate with each other. It was very cute.”

Nyla packed a big personality for an older cat. She’d often run around the yard with boomer balls — large, heavy-duty plastic balls — and played soccer with them. When it snowed, she’d pack the balls with snow and bat them at the other lions.

Altrui said zoo staff members didn’t know Nyla had liver cancer. Physical exams didn’t show any abnormalities, and animals don’t display any outward signs of sickness as a defense mechanism, she said.

Zoo officials said they aren’t looking to replace her until Sydney also dies. As part of the zoo’s long-term species-survival plan, a program in which zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums trade animals to bolster breeding, zoo officials hope to find a female mate for Bakari, who is now 6, with the expectation that the couple will produce cubs, Altrui said.

Since Nyla died, the lioness’ companions have been searching everywhere for her.

“They definitely notice she’s missing,” Barszczowski said. “They’ve been calling for her. She was always calling and responding with Bakari.”

Zoo officials said they will keep a close eye on Sydney, who is 19.

“Sydney has never been apart from her,” Barszczowski said. “Everybody is worried about her, so we’re going to give her a little extra attention and love.”