Ailing lion Juboraj dies at Comilla Zoo

Juboraj, the lion who was suffering from old age complications and whose plight broke hearts after the news spread on social media, died in the Comilla Zoo early today.

The 17-year old lion was not eating properly for the last few days and he completely stopped taking food in the last two to three days, our Comilla correspondent reports quoting Chief Executive of Comilla District Council Sanjoy Kumar Bhowmic.

Preparations are going on to bury Juboraj near his cage inside the zoo premises, said Masudur Rahman,an official of the zoo.

Meanwhile, a post-mortem was conducted on Juboraj by Dr Arif Hasan, a surgeon of a district veterinary clinic of Comilla Sadar Upazila.

A four-member medical team comprising of Dr Arif Hasan, Dr Nazmul, Dr Jakir Hossain and Dr AKM Rakibul has also been formed to probe the death of Juboraj.

After a picture of the ailing lion posted on social media went viral recently, many users accused the zoo keepers of starving him and being irresponsible.

Veterinarians, called in by the zoo authorities after the backlash, concluded that Juboraj's health had deteriorated beyond recovery.

Born in 2000, Juboraj was brought to Comilla Zoo when he was four. He has lived in the enclosure without any company since. In recent months, his health rapidly deteriorated and he lost his appetite.