Nandankanan lion dies of kidney problem

BHUBANESWAR: A lion of Nandankanan Zoological Park died on Sunday. It was about 20 years of age. The lion was suffering from kidney-related problems and had become senile too. Head of Pathology Department, Orissa Veterinary College, Dr SK Panda said postmortem report pointed at kidney stone and gastritis to be the cause of the death. The Zoo’s lion population has dropped to a precarious low with the latest death. With just about 15 lions, most of which are beyond the breeding age, Nandankanan Zoo has a task at hand to sustain the population. The park sources said plans are afoot to procure a group of young lions to resolve the crisis. Talks are on with various agencies in this regard.