Hyderabad: 19-year-old lion dies in Nehru zoo

Hyderabad: Atul, a 19-year-old Asiatic lion died of senility at the Nehru zoo here on Thursday. Atul was born in the zoo in in 2009 and sired 26 cubs, which are accommodated in other zoos.

Zoo officials noted last week that Atul was not having feed, and was unable to walk. Veterinary doctors kept it under observation but were unable to save him.

Officials said the life span of Asiatic lions in zoos is about 18 years.

A team of eight veternary experts performed the post-mortem which revealed that the lion had died of age-related complications. Samples were collected and sent to the Veterinary Biological and Research Institute in the city for detailed investigation.