A (tentatively) hopeful update regarding lioness Asante. 💕

Over the past few days, 21-year-old lioness Asante has not been her normal, feisty self- you can read more in our previous post about her.

The positive is that yesterday she decided to eat and took food from our vet, this morning her care team was able to feed her (second picture), and she also was observed drinking water on her own as well as defecating- which gives us a bit of hope she’s getting another wind of life.

“Right now we have a whole ‘carnivore buffet’ that we have been presenting to her, so she gets whatever she wants to eat,” explained Animal Curator, Shanna. “Her mobility looks good given her age. Our amazing relationships with our animals is extremely helpful in times like this- the trust Asante has built with her care team has allowed us to continue to monitor her closely and provide for her. She’s truly incredible to work with.”

Additionally, guests may once again have the chance of seeing a lion during their visit- Tatu has been given access to be on exhibit, and has been periodically relaxing in the sun as Asante continues to rest up behind-the-scenes.

Age is catching up to lioness, Asante. 🦁

Both lions will be off exhibit at Topeka Zoo for an indefinite amount of time as lioness Asante is being closely monitored due to a health scare. After not having much interest in food (including her favorite, goat’s milk) Monday, her care team and vet staff performed a physical exam Monday which included giving fluids and drawing blood to check her kidney values – Asante has been previously diagnosed with renal disease, something that is unfortunately very common in geriatric cats of all sizes. The median lifespan of a lioness in human care is 16, although they are known to live to 20. Asante’s care team celebrated her 21st birthday with her in April. She is currently the oldest living lioness in an AZA accredited Zoo.

In the meantime, male lion Tatu has been kept near her to provide comfort for them both.

💛 Along with Asante, the Zoo has many animals living in its care that have passed their median life expectancy including Gertie the llama, Tembo the African elephant, Rudy & Mawas the Bornean orangutans, Jackie the two-toed sloth, and the pair of grey-crowned cranes.

Only ONE WEEK away from the first BOO! at the Zoo! 🎃🍬

We can't wait to see all our visitors in boo-tiful costumes on October 18th & 25th. From 9 am - 3 pm, over 40 local businesses and vendors will be around the Zoo passing out goodies to trick-or-treaters.

BOO! at the Zoo is generously sponsored this year by FIT Excavating - Join us for some fall fun, as the event is INCLUDED in Zoo General Admission. Friends of the Zoo members receive free access and will have their own express entry lane at both Admissions. Purchase a membership here: https://topekazoo.org/membership/

You can also pre-purchase General Admission tickets (valid for any date including both BOO! dates) by visiting https://topekazoo.org/membership/

This fall weather has made our Caturdays PURRFECT (although only one of these pictured species has the capability of purring 🐆)

#caturday #happycaturday #purrfect #fallweather #topekazoo