Visibly Malnourished Lion Leaves Private Zoo for New Home

Zoo officials prepare to move a visibly malnourished lion from Gimhae in southeastern South Korea to the central city of Cheongju on July 5, 2023. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, July 5 (Korea Bizwire) — A shockingly skinny lion spotted living alone in a cramped pen of a financially distressed zoo in the southeastern city of Gimhae was moved to a spacious new home about 300 kilometers away on Wednesday.

The lion, a 20-year-old male, drew nationwide media attention in mid-June when it was photographed by visitors to Gimhae Bugyeong Zoo in a state of suspected severe malnutrition, along with other animals that were apparently malnourished and poorly cared for, such as unshorn sheep with dirty fleece.

Many visitors have since written protest letters to the Gimhae city government, calling for measures to protect the lion and about 100 other animals of 30 species from apparent animal abuse by the privately run zoo.

The operator of Bugyeong Zoo explained that its facility is outdated and the number of visitors plummeted until recently due to COVID-19 but the animals have never been starved.

The visitors showed particular sympathy for the emaciated lion, which was born in Seoul Children’s Grand Park in 2004 and has lived at the 14-meter-wide and 6-meter-long pen in Bugyeong Zoo since 2016.

The lion traveled about 270 km to the north to a public zoo in the central city of Cheongju, officials said, adding it was transported in an air-conditioned truck to avoid exhaustion or damage to health in the hot weather.

Besides the lion, a horse with a severely lame hind leg was also sent to Cheongju Zoo, they noted.

A lion’s age of 20 is said to be equal to 100 years in human terms.

The Gimhae zoo operator had decided to send the lion to Cheongju, wishing that he would spend the rest of his life in a better environment.

Unlike the narrow cage at Bugyeong Zoo, Cheongju Zoo has an exclusive space for lions that covers about 1,650 square meters. The zoo also has two lions — a 12-year-old female lion and a 19-year-old male lion.

Noting lions are a pack animal, Cheongju Zoo officials said that they will make every effort to help the lion adapt to the new environment.

(Yonhap)