The zoo says that Tau passed away quietly under the loving care and comfort of his veterinarians and animal care staff.
SAN ANTONIO — An elderly lion at the San Antonio Zoo had to be humanely euthanized Thursday, the zoo says.
“Our Animal Care, Animal Wellbeing and Veterinary teams had to make the difficult decision to euthanize Tau, the male African lion on Thursday,” the zoo says in a Facebook post. “Tau passed away quietly this morning under the loving care and comfort of his veterinarians and animal care staff.”
The zoo says that Tau recently entered hospice care due to having challenges getting up and down, walking and moving in general. This was likely due to degeneration of the discs of his lumbar spine, aka intervertebral disc disease or IVDD, which is a disease that can develop in aging lions. He was being treated with anti-inflammatory and pain medications as well as a joint supplement. Tau also suffered from arthritic joints due to his older age which was not helped by his spinal disease.
This king of the jungle was born August 19, 2007 at Virginia Zoological Park and arrived at San Antonio Zoo in 2013 along with Sarabi, his queen. Tau has inspired millions of visitors to love and appreciate his species.
Tau was one of the older male lions at a U.S. zoological facility and brought millions of visitors closer to his incredible species. He sired three cubs in 2015, Axelle, Josh and TP, who went on to form or join prides at other zoological facilities.
“Tau will be missed by all his caretakers, visitors to the zoo, and our entire community,” said the zoo. “He was known by his keepers for his big beautiful eyes, his patience as a dad, his morning roars and for being a proper king for his pride.”
His queen Sarabi will remain at San Antonio Zoo.
“Please keep our animal care staff, and our entire Zoo Crew in your thoughts and prayers as we mourn the loss of this family member,” said the zoo.
Below are thoughts and memories from some of Tau’s dedicated keepers:
“We have been privileged enough to hear you wake the sun for nearly two decades, but now we settle into the inexorable quietude that follows in your wake,” said Damian. “San Antonio will mourn the loss of a powerful voice, but I know what I’ll miss the most are our little talks.”
“Tau was a tolerant father, a devoted mate, and an opinionated, loud old man,” said Jessica. “He inspired so many people and was a dream come true to work with. The zoo will truly be different without his calls echoing through it, he will be forever missed.”
“Tau was the master of the side eye, head tilts, and stealing hearts,” said Kerian. “He loved to train while still testing the limits of his keepers patience in the best way, often winning with one slight tilt of his beautifully maned head. Hearing his roars in the morning was my favorite part of our routine each day. He was a great dad to his 3 cubs, each of them creating their own unforgettable bond with their caretakers that we are all thankful for. Watching a training session back and seeing how focused on me he was during the entirety of the session will be something I cherish and a connection I will strive for in every animal interaction moving forward from this moment.”