Paignton zoo loses another lion to TB

Maliya was 6 years old

Paignton zoo has put down another lion after she contracted TB.

Six-year-old Asiatic lion Maliya already lost her mother Indu, to the disease in July.

Zoo spokesperson Phil Knowling said: “We’ve done everything we can to be sure. Our in-house vets have spoken to the leading expert on felines and Tb, someone who even helped develop one of the tests used. Maliya was found to be highly positive on two tests for the Mycobacterium complex group and the gamma interferon results point towards bovine Tb.

“Whatever else happens before we eventually get the all clear and the Tb restrictions on the Zoo are lifted, we knew we couldn’t keep her alive, so – for the sake of her family and the larger collection - we had to take the decision, as heart-breaking as it was.” 

Maliya was born at Paignton Zoo in 2012 to mother Indu and father Mwamba and became a mother herself in 2016. Paignton Zoo’s pride of rare Asiatic lions now consists of Maliya’s two cubs, male Yali and his sister Arya, along with father Lucifer.

Senior keeper Helen Neighbour paid tribute to Maliya: “She was the first cub born here that I ever worked with. She grew up into a loving mother, brilliant with her cubs, very caring and very protective. She could be strong-willed and she liked to have the last word!”

Blood tests on adult male giraffe Yoda, who died suddenly last month, have come back negative for bovine Tb.