Cleo, Sacramento Zoo's 19-year-old African lioness, dies after kidney failure
SACRAMENTO – One of the Sacramento Zoo's iconic residents has died.
Cleo, a 19-year-old African lioness, was euthanized after zoo officials say veterinarians discovered her kidneys were failing.
The big cat had called the Sacramento Zoo home since she was just two years old.
Veterinarians say Cleo had already been battling other health conditions as she got older. The past few months, however, saw a worsening of Cleo's kidney disease.
"Our teams worked closely together to ensure she remained comfortable and was able to continue to enjoy her favorite activities during this time," said Sacramento Zoo staff veterinarian Jenessa Gjeltema in a statement.
After coming to the Sacramento Zoo in 2007, Cleo and her mate Kamau welcomed a litter of cubs in 2014. The cubs are all at other zoos now.
Cleo, who turned 19 in early September, was one of the oldest lions in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums African Lion Species Survival Plan population, zoo officials say.
Her passing leaves Slamson II as the sole lion at the Sac Zoo. Staff plans to introduce the four-year-old cat to a mate very soon.
Cleo's longtime caregiver, Tom Nakayama, has taken care of her since she arrived at the zoo 17 years ago.
"I feel like I had a genuine connection with Cleo," Nakayama said. "She always seemed happy to see me, and I was always happy to see her."
Another person who was always happy to see Cleo was Alyssa Christensen, who was visiting the Sac Zoo on Tuesday with her family.
"I believe when I was a kid, I would come here and see her," she said. "The lion exhibit has always been a part of my life and one of the great things coming here is getting to interact with them just a quarter inch apart."
Christensen remembers being nose-to-nose close to Cleo through the glass tunnel, marveling at her majesty.
"It's so different because you see them portrayed in cartoons or National Geographic, and then [when] you see them up close, it's so much bigger and not like anything you anticipated before," Christensen said. "It takes your breath away."
