DENVER — Denver Zoo's African lion family has lost its leader.
The zoo posted on Facebook Thursday that Tobias, or Toby to those who loved him, was euthanized on Wednesday at the age of seven.
Tobias had several medical conditions, according to the zoo, including inflammatory bowel disease with difficulty digesting certain proteins and chronic kidney disease.
The zoo said after a notable decline in his health earlier this week, Tobias was brought to the zoo's animal hospital for an exam. Their veterinary medicine team found that in addition to the progression of his chronic diseases, he developed a severe infection that spread to his lung and bones, which all made his prognosis for recovery and a return to a good quality of life poor.
Tobias was born at the Buffalo Zoo on March 5, 2016. In 2018, he moved to Denver Zoo at the recommendation of The Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan to join the zoo's family pride and support African lion conservation efforts.
The zoo said Tobias quickly became a beloved member of their pride and settled into his new home with their female lions: Neliah, Kamara and Sabi. In 2019, the zoo celebrated the birth of three lion cubs: Tatu, Oskar and Araali.
Tobias is remembered as an "incredible lion dad" who enjoyed playing, snuggling and teaching his offspring everything they needed to know about how to be a lion. Tatu and Oskar have since moved to other zoos, but Araali still calls Denver home.
The zoo said the veterinary medicine team will conduct a postmortem exam to better understand the full breadth of Tobias' condition when he was euthanized.
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