THE REGAL and dignified lioness, Queenie, had been a fixture at the National Zoological Park for the past twenty years.
She died last Thursday, an official of the National Parks Commission (NPC) announced late last week.
The lioness was twenty-two years old, said to be a ripe old age for lions, and she was not known to be ill.
Sources said she was last seen alive in her exhibit at around 19:30 hours on Wednesday night, but was discovered dead at around 07:00hours on Thursday.
The lioness was a popular feature at the Guyana Zoo for over two decades, and had been given various names, such as Queen of the Zoo, and Queenie, among others.
Her parents had been transferred to the local zoo from a fraternal zoo in South America in the late 1980s, and both have long since been deceased.
The lioness had been known for her tolerance of human attention.
“She didn’t walk away when humans approached, but stood her ground in her cage and returned the stares in a non-aggressive manner. And when she roared, it was awesome. Many animals in the zoo, as well as staffers and visitors, would stop and listen,” one staffer said.
Zoo officials said her death transformed the day into a very glum one for staffers there.
“(It was) almost like a death in the family,” one woman said.
Head of the National Parks Commission (NPC), Ms. Yolanda Vasconcellos, disclosed that veterinarians have performed a necropsy, and body parts have been sent to a laboratory for analysis in order to determine the cause of the animal’s death.
“Our lioness was definitely the star of the zoo, and will be sorely missed by staffers and visitors alike,” she said.
She also disclosed that the NPC may embalm the lioness and have her remains kept as an exhibit in the National Museum.