PORTLAND, Ore. — Neka, the oldest of the Oregon Zoo's African lion pride, died Friday night after a seizure, the zoo reported Saturday. Neka was 16 years old.
"This is a heartbreaking day, especially for her care staff," said Kelly Gomez, who oversees the zoo's Africa area. "Some of our keepers had known Neka for 14 years, since she first arrived at the zoo. When you care for an animal every day like that, for years, you form incredibly close bonds. She was a beloved and beautiful lion, and it will not be the same without her."
Neka was born in 2007 at the Virginia Zoo. She came to the Oregon Zoo in 2009 and was part of the zoo's Predators of the Serengeti habitat.
She gave birth to three cubs in 2013.
"Keepers said she displayed exceptional parenting skills for a first-time mom — grooming, nursing and wrangling her cubs from the moment they were born," the zoo said in a news release. Neka's grown cubs now live at other accredited zoos.
"Neka touched the hearts of millions of people during her life, and we hope her legacy will be one of inspiration and hope for her species," Gomez said. "As recently as 25 years ago, lions were common throughout much of East Africa, but populations have been dwindling, and fewer than 25,000 wild lions are now thought to remain."
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