Luke, an African lion, at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., was humanely euthanized on Wednesday, the National Zoo said. He was 17 years old.
Luke was born in a private reserve in South Africa, he arrived at the National Zoo in 2006 as a 1-year-old. He had two mates, Naba and Shera, from which he has 13 surviving cubs, according to a National Zoo release.
“Luke was truly the ‘king’ of the Great Cats exhibit,” the National Zoo Great Cats curator Craig Saffoe said in a release. “He was gentle with his mates, Naba and Shera, and an extremely patient and protective father to all 13 of the cubs he sired. Luke has left a lasting legacy, not only in the cubs he contributed to his species’ survival, but also in the millions of visitors who were able to gain a deeper knowledge of and appreciation for African lions because of who he was as the patriarch of his pride.”
Over the years, Luke had been treated for pain in his right forelimb and spinal disease. In an exam on Wednesday, the National Zoo’s veterinarians determined that his long-term quality of life would be poor.
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News4 covered a Virginia exotic animal dentist giving Luke a routine dental exam in 2017. At the time, Luke's keepers said he had helped grow the lion population in the U.S.
“He's been an outstanding breeding animal,” Saffoe told News4. “He’s produced five litters, four of which have all survived. He’s had a great run for us.”
Earlier in the week, Rusty the red panda, a former National Zoo animal, died unexpectedly at the Pueblo Zoo in Colorado. He was famous for escaping the National Zoo in 2013.
One of Luke’s mates, Naba was humanely euthanized in September. According to the National Zoo, 17 is the median life expectancy for lions in human captivity.
The National Zoo's lions can be watched on the Lion Cam.
