Seena, a 21-year-old lioness, died at the zoo here on Saturday. Seena was being treated for age-related illnesses for the past 10 months at an off-site enclosure on the zoo campus.
Seena was born at the zoo. She was shifted to the enclosure near the carnivorous section in November. She turned immobile and was on intravenous fluids for the past 10 days, zoo authorities said.
A team of veterinarians led by Nandakumar from the Chief Disease Investigation Office, Palode, conducted a post-mortem examination. The carcass was burnt. Zoo veterinarian Jacob Alexander said Seena died of multiple-organ failure.
Long friendshipSeena’s long-time companion Sindhu, who has been sharing the same enclosure for 20 years, was astonishingly affectionate to her ailing friend. “Sindhu used to sleep close to Seena, placing the paws on her. The images captured in the surveillance cameras during the night shows Sindhu patting Seena. The images are very touching,” B. Joseph, Director, Department of Museums and Zoos, told The Hindu .
