Magnetic Hill Zoo announces death of African lion

The Magnetic Hill Zoo’s beloved male African lion, Azizi, has died. 

The nearly 18-year-old lion had been on a specialized geriatric care and welfare plan for several years, supported by the Zoo’s veterinary and animal care teams. In recent days, his health declined significantly, and following a thorough veterinary assessment, the decision was made to euthanize him to prevent unnecessary suffering.

Azizi arrived at the Zoo in 2009 along with the Zoo’s female lion, Amara. From the beginning, he captured the hearts of staff and visitors and quickly became a guest favourite among the millions of people who visited him over his lifetime. 

As he aged, his dedicated keepers, veterinarians, and external consultants worked closely together to support his comfort and well-being. His health had gradually been declining over the past several years, but it became clear this week that his quality of life was no longer where it needed to be and the team made the difficult but compassionate decision to humanely euthanize him out of respect and responsibility to his well-being.

The team is unsure how his loss will impact Amara and will be closely monitoring her as her physical and mental well-being is of the utmost importance.

“We are thankful for the many years we had with Azizi. It was a privilege to get to work with him and know him,” says Tiffany Bateman, the Zoo’s curator of zoological operations. “We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who loved and cared for him throughout his life. He was an extraordinary member of our Zoo animal family and he will be greatly missed by our staff and visitors alike.”

The Magnetic Hill Zoo is a leader in conservation and education and Azizi played a key role in educating visitors about lions and the challenges the species faces. His legacy will live on in the countless people he inspired to learn more about lions, ensuring visitors understood the responsibility we all share in protecting them.

Although Azizi’s cause of death is known, a full necropsy will be performed as per Zoo protocols to ensure the Zoo is learning and contributing to the care and welfare of lions around the world, both those living in human care and in the wild. 

Information

Communications, City of Moncton
communications@moncton.ca