For immediate release
Contact: Gina Stiles, 904-757-4463, ext. 210; cell phone 655-3632

12-Year-Old Lion Dies of Cancer
at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens

June 18, 2007 - Jacksonville, Florida – It is with sadness that officials at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens announced the death of Wakati, one of the Zoo’s two male lions. Zoo keepers found the lion first thing this past Sunday morning.  He had been diagnosed with cancer the week before. Wakati had been examined and treated by the Zoo’s Animal Health staff after keepers observed lethargy and loss of appetite in him. Diagnosis came from a biopsy of a skin tumor that had been removed that was associated with an enlarged lymph node. This past Friday, he underwent a re-assessment with an ultrasound exam, and surgery followed immediately to remove the lymph node. Blood work indicated he was in liver and kidney failure. A post-mortem examination was performed Monday, June 18, revealing a widely disseminated disease process that had compromised multiple organs. Further testing is being done to confirm the findings.

“Wakati was born on December 22, 1995 and arrived at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens on June, 7, 1996, from San Diego Wild Animal Park,” said Delfi Messinger, animal programs director at the Zoo. “Although our veterinary staff did everything they could to save Wakati, the necropsy showed there was really nothing that could have been done,” Messinger continued.

Wakati shared the same father but had a different mother than the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ only remaining lion, Mshoni, who was older by less than five months.  Mshoni arrived in Jacksonville from San Diego on January 17, 1996.  Wakati was a valuable animal in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Lion Species Survival Plan program.  The Zoo will be soliciting another lion from various zoos that are members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

For over 90 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring the discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experience in a caring environment. Starting in 1914 with an animal collection that consisted of one red deer fawn, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has grown to house more than 1,500 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 unique plant species. The Jacksonville Zoo is a non-profit organization and is an accredited member of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA).  It is open year-round, seven days a week, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and is located on Jacksonville’s north side at 370 Zoo Parkway, one-half mile east from I-95.  For more information on the Zoo, log on to www.jacksonvillezoo.org.                                         

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