Zoos, Circuses, Safaris: A Gallery of Captivity

Zoos, Circuses, Safaris: A Gallery of Captivity - Printable Version

+- WildFact (https://wildfact.com/forum)
+-- Forum: Information Section (https://wildfact.com/forum/forum-information-section)
+--- Forum: Captive & Domesticated Animals (https://wildfact.com/forum/forum-captive-domesticated-animals)
+--- Thread: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris: A Gallery of Captivity (/topic-zoos-circuses-safaris-a-gallery-of-captivity)

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Pckts - 04-19-2016

What a moron this lady is!
http://www.break.com/video/insane-woman-at-toronto-zoo-enters-tiger-pen-3014695

Let me guess, if that tiger gets a hold of her he's the one that will be put down?
Baffling to me.

On a side note, what a beautiful male sumatran he is.

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Sully - 04-20-2016

@Pckts yea heard of that story, absolutely ridiculous, I wouldn't say she deserves what she gets (as that could've been death) but legally...yes!

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Pckts - 04-20-2016

"Guess the weight of Rocky"

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Pckts - 04-20-2016

208kg Amur Tiger weight is at 7:50 "Weight Expectations:

Just before going into Tamair's new enclosure, we weighed Tamair in his crate. With the crate we had a weight of 389KGs (855lbs, 61 stone 1lb). Taking the weight of the crate off, Tamair weighed 208KGs (457.6lbs, 32 stone 9lbs).This is about average for a male Siberian Tiger."

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - brotherbear - 05-03-2016

Tiger World in North Carolina. Pictured is Brutus, a Syrian brown bear.

*This image is copyright of its original author

https://www.facebook.com/TigerWorldNC/?fref=photo

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Pckts - 05-05-2016

Two lions underwent dental surgery Friday after being rescued from Peruvian circuses, where they were kept in appalling conditions.
The big cats — named King and Simba — were among 21 lions saved last year by members of Los Angeles-based Animal Defenders International.
“In the circuses, they often break their teeth and remove their claws,” said Eva Chomba, a Peruvian veterinarian with Animal Defenders.
“It’s a painful process in which they do not use anesthesia and those doing it are not veterinarians.”
King was unable to chew normally because most of his teeth had been pulled by the circus owners. Simba’s front claws had been removed and his fangs broken.
A team of veterinarians sedated the pair of lions — which weigh more than 352 pounds and are 17 and 7 years old, respectively — to perform dental surgery.

*This image is copyright of its original author

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/lions-rescued-circuses-peru-undergo-dental-surgery-article-1.2123948
Same lions, with a little more detail.

*This image is copyright of its original author

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-2962376/Lions-rescued-circuses-Peru-teeth-fixed.html

Different Lion
AL AIN // When your lions have toothache, whom do you call?
Al Ain Zoo recently found itself wrestling with this painful question and found the answer in Dr Gerhard Steenkamp, a specialist from South Africa.
A 113kg tawny lion, believed to be less than two years old, and his sister from the same pride were rescued by the Ministry of Water and Environment last month.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Video in the link below

http://www.thenational.ae/uae/al-ain-zoo-removes-rescued-lions-teeth

No info on this boy, but check him out

*This image is copyright of its original author

Possibly the same lion?

"Recently Perth Zoo keepers noticed a lump on the back of 10-year-old lion Mandela. To investigate the lump, the big cat underwent a general anaesthetic at the Perth Zoo Veterinary Department on 8 August.
An ultrasound examination of the lump revealed it wasn’t filled with fluid. X-rays showed it was mineralised which explained its hardness. The x-ray and ultrasound findings suggested to veterinarians that they weren’t dealing with a malignant tumour but the only way to be sure was to do a biopsy. This involved surgically removing a tissue sample from the lump which was then submitted for analysis.
The results showed the lump was the product of an inflammatory reaction, most likely caused by a knock or injury. Over time, the lump should subside and it will not cause any problems for Mandela’s health.
Lumps and bumps in lions are not uncommon, as is the case with domestic cats and dogs. Unlike cats and dogs, however, it is impossible to do a thorough examination on a ferocious lion without the lion undergoing a general anaesthetic.
Moving a 184 kg lion is not something Perth Zoo staff do lightly so while Mandela was anaesthetised they also used the opportunity to check his general health. Blood samples were taken and he was screened for various infectious diseases with the test results coming back clear. He was also given his yearly vaccination using the same vaccine as domestic cats receive when they visit the vet.
After the examination, Mandela was returned to his exhibit where he recovered and rejoined his pride mates, Nelson and Shinyanga."

*This image is copyright of its original author

http://perthzoo.wa.gov.au/a-lumpy-lions-visit-to-the-veterinary-hospital-10350/

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Spalea - 05-05-2016

@Pckts.

Perhaps a link, a connection with:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3568200/33-lions-rescued-circuses-Colombia-Peru-airlifted-sanctuary-South-Africa.html

and:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/33-rescued-lions-arrive-south-africa-airlift-38788721

It is said these lions would know the paradise after a life of suffering. Yes maybe... But how could they enjoy a life in Africa with their broken fangs and removed claws ? From now they are mutilated animals. When these criminals people of the peruvian zoos will be sentenced ?

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Pckts - 05-05-2016

It's sad, I agree but at least they are out of the circus and able to live their last days on soft dirt, not being commanded to perform and treated like house pets.
It's a lesser of two evils, if they weren't sent there they would be put down. So I think it's great, at least they are able to live out their lives in a little peace.

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Pckts - 05-05-2016

Big boy here.

*This image is copyright of its original author

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/A-lion-in-whimper-The-pride-of-S-F-Zoo-s-pride-2750776.php#photo-2189048
When life is good, Tunya, a 435-pound lion at the San Francisco Zoo, has sex 20 times a day and gets treats like "blood popsicles" or dead rabbits.

When life is bad, he shakes and trembles. Technically speaking, Tunya is a wobbler -- he sometimes has trouble putting weight on his front legs, and endures pain that can last for days.
On Thursday, vets at the zoo sent Tunya to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at UC Davis. The diagnosis: a cervical vertebral abnormality. The conclusion: no easy fix. The next step: unclear, but possibly another commute on Interstate 80 for high-risk surgery that might or might not cure his ills.

Tunya's rare troubles began about a year and a half ago. Zoo officials have observed two more shaking episodes since then, the most recent three weeks ago.
Dr. Freeland Dunker, head vet at the zoo, concluded that the area between Tunya's sixth and seventh vertebrae was skewed, resulting in a pinched nerve, and that surgery was the answer.
And so, at 5 a.m., Tunya and six zoo employees left for UC Davis, a world mecca
medicine.
It was the first time the zoo had brought an animal to Davis for surgery, Dunker said -- though it was not the first lion for Davis. And it was Tunya's first excursion since April 1997, when he arrived from South Africa, with much fanfare, at the age of 3 months.

A contest to name him and female compatriots Amanzi and Kita drew more than 1,000 entries. Dunker saw them as the building blocks for a new pride of lions at the zoo -- and as part of a national breeding program to offset the ills brought by inbreeding and crossbreeding.
WAITING FOR 'THE GIRLS'
The morning before his Davis outing, Tunya looked neither sick nor like a poster boy for genetic diversity. Instead, he just looked mad. He paced furiously inside his 6-by-10-foot cage until "the girls" returned to their adjoining cages.
Linda Caratti, animal keeper in the lion house, said Tunya feels protective toward Amanzi and Kita, but also worries they'll meet another male if they're out of his sight.
As soon as the two strolled in from outside, Tunya plopped onto the straw- strewn floor like a contented kitten.
On a typical day, the lion eats 8 pounds of horsemeat for dinner and gets a knuckle bone to chew on. A favorite treat is popsicles made from frozen horse blood, resembling sorbet or a Sno-cone.
"Sometimes just giving them a bowlful of blood is enjoyable," said Caratti, who's taken care of the three South Africans -- the only remaining lions at the zoo -- from the beginning.
When the females go into heat every five to six weeks, Tunya mates with them about 20 times per day.
"It's very quick," Caratti said. "There's no quality time, there's no champagne."
Asked if Tunya prefers one or the other, Caratti said, "Whichever one is in estrus is his favorite."
Since becoming sexually mature at 2 1/2 years of age, Tunya hates to be touched, at least by humans. It's a good thing he was unconscious for most of his visit to Davis, because he was touched a lot. He was pushed and pulled, smacked, poked, yanked and manipulated into positions not befitting the king of the jungle.
AWAKE BUT STILL GROGGY
Although he was knocked out in San Francisco Wednesday afternoon while he was crated, Tunya was awake, though groggy, when the zoo's trailer pulled up to the Large Animal Clinic in Davis at 7 a.m. Thursday.
The mood among his handlers was focused and alert.
Working with a lion can be scary, said UC Davis anesthesiologist Linda Barter. "You don't want them to wake up and kill someone."
As a precaution, San Francisco Zoo keeper Ron Whitfield, looking like a professional hit man, toted an encased 12-gauge shotgun all day.
At 7:50 a.m., Dunker ventured into the trailer with a tranquilizing dart. Half an hour later, Tunya got a second dart. A horse, meanwhile, pranced around the parking lot.
"Tunya does love to eat horses," Caratti noted.
By 8:39 a.m., Tunya was out cold, though Dunker slapped his face to make sure. Catheters were taped to Tunya's legs to provide fluids, a clip was fastened to his tongue to monitor vital signs, and tubes were shoved down his throat to administer anesthesia and oxygen.
Six people tugged and lugged until the lion, by now an inert mass of tawny fur, was placed on a gurney and escorted into an examining room.
His heartbeat was 72, his entourage about two dozen people. An orthopedic surgeon examined him. By the end of the day, the departments of anesthesiology,
radiology, neurology and orthopedics would all get involved.
LIKE A 'FAR SIDE' CARTOON
Finally, Tunya was wheeled out and a sheep with a hernia wheeled in. It was time to take the elevator to the second floor. By the time one lion on a gurney, four humans, one oxygen tank and the formidable anesthesia apparatus were wedged in, the tableau resembled a "Far Side" cartoon.
"Looks like I'm waiting for the next car," said UC Davis oncologist Eric Simonson, who had just wandered by. "Let's hope the lion doesn't have cancer."
By 9:30 a.m., Tunya was in the X-ray room. During his three-hour stay, keeper Lori Komejan phoned from the zoo in San Francisco to say "the girls are calling out for him like crazy."
The X-rays confirmed Dunker's diagnosis, but also indicated that surgery would be far more complex than expected and not something anyone could do right away. As Tunya's gurney was rolled down the hallway, a black pit bull froze in unblinking terror and a white Samoyed bolted in the other direction. Luckily, a Chihuahua with congestive heart failure had just come and gone.
It would take another hour and a half for Tunya -- whose name means thunder in Swahili -- to regain consciousness.
Meanwhile, anesthesiologist Barter, who is allergic to cats, rubbed cortisone into her crimson arms and face. San Francisco zoo veterinarian Jacqueline Jencek massaged Tunya's legs and pondered his future. His role, after all, is to breed and multiply.
POSSIBLE CAREER CHANGE
"That's his job," she said.
And what if his job description changes because of poor health? "His new job will be to be very handsome," Jencek said with a sad smile, after a long pause.
At 2 p.m., Tunya snorted a few times, opened his eyes and began the long, slow process of waking up from the anesthetic -- a precarious phase that sometimes includes seizures.
The lion didn't return to San Francisco until 8 in the evening. Dunker and Jencek kept an all-night vigil. By Friday morning, Tunya was back in his cage and the exhausted head vet was figuring out what to do next.
If surgery is performed, the risks are high.
"Surgery might paralyze him -- and how do you deal with a paralyzed lion?" Dunker asked.
UC Davis neurologist Karen Vernau said Tunya's problem occurs most often in Dobermans, who are decidedly unlionlike but would serve as the best point of reference. Sometimes, she said, the surgery creates a domino effect and more discs collapse.
Post-operative care would be difficult and labor-intensive, Dunker said. And Tunya's cubs could inherit the problem if it's a genetic defect rather than the result of injury -- something that's impossible to know.
If nothing is done, Dunker said, Tunya's condition will deteriorate to the point where life is not worth living. In a few years, he could be put to sleep.

Different one.

An Israeli vet operated on an eight-year-old 440-pound African lion to remove a tumour from its stomach. The lion, Samouni, underwent about two hours of surgery involving a biopsy and the removal of the tumour.
Veterinarian Dr Yigal Horowitz and the staff at the Ramat Gan Safari performed the two-hour operation. The lion is expected to be back on his feet by Thursday.
The tumour will now be sent for analysis to determine whether it is benign or malignant.
Here are some images of Samouni being taken for the surgery, operated on and recuperating.

*This image is copyright of its original author

http://www.mid-day.com/articles/when-a-lion-underwent-surgery-to-remove-a-tumour/16410182

*This image is copyright of its original author

A tiger is recovering from dental work at a zoo after breaking three of his front teeth.
Nine-year-old Amir, a rare male Sumatran tiger, had to have the chipped teeth filled in at Howletts Wild Animal Park near Canterbury, Kent.
The tiger, who weighs more than 20 stone (280lbs), was sedated and transported to the on-site hospital for treatment by dental surgeon Peter Kertesz

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2864998/Best-double-check-anaesthetic-Dentist-perform-surgery-fix-tiger-s-teeth-broke-chewing-bones.html#ixzz47niOF6gY
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

*This image is copyright of its original author

CLEARWATER, Fla. – It's not unusual for a cat to get a hairball, but a 400-pound tiger needed help from veterinary surgeons in Florida when he couldn't hack up a basketball-size hairball by himself.
The 17-year-old tiger named Ty underwent the procedure Wednesday at a veterinary center in the Tampa Bay area community of Clearwater. Doctors said in a statement that they safely removed the 4-pound obstruction from Ty's stomach.
The tiger, which is cared for by Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Seminole, was brought to veterinarians after not eating for nearly two weeks. Doctors said they detected the hairball using a scope with a camera.
Vernon Yates, whose nonprofit group regularly assists law enforcement agencies with seized animals, says he's thankful the hairball was removed and Ty is doing fine.

*This image is copyright of its original author

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/05/23/veterinary-surgeons-remove-basketball-sized-hairball-from-tiger-in-fla-that.html

*This image is copyright of its original author

Bringing a rather large lion into the work area. Each animal is weighed when brought to the work area. This lion was 425 pounds.

*This image is copyright of its original author

Specialist vet dentist Stephen Coles can be forgiven for making sure his patient was sound asleep yesterday before he started poking a tooth broken off at the gum.
Harare, 10, may be the runt of his litter but he's a very large one: 180kg and fangs longer and thicker than an average man's fingers.
"You wouldn't put your hands in his mouth unless you were very sure he was asleep," Dr Coles said.
Dr Coles, one of only two specialist dental vets in Australia, is regularly called to Melbourne Zoo.
Harare had a full check-up at the hands of zoo vet Helen McCracken while he was out and was found to be in good health.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/dentist-fears-inconvenient-tooth/story-e6freuzi-1226165378230

*This image is copyright of its original author

Huge boy, love to know his back story.

*This image is copyright of its original author

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Pckts - 05-09-2016

*This image is copyright of its original author

Just to give you an idea about the growth rate differences between species...
Dharma is one of the oldest cats at the sanctuary, him, Tierra (tigress) and Kharmis (deceased lioness) were all raised together and they are around 2.5, luke, han and ali all slightly younger, around 2, they are all part of the "big pride" which has Michael the Jaguar (same age as the lions), it did have the "nightmares" (white tiger siblings who became to aggressive with some of the pride members, enzo and Basho, basho is the white tiger seen next to lotus the lion a few pages back)
The big pride also has Alcyone and Atzlan, two tiger siblings slightly younger than these guys, probably 1.5ish and Dolano (lioness) and a few other lioness.

It's truly amazing to see Lions, Tigers, Leopards and Jaguars all living together in a pride and they all love each other greatly.
Will this last when they are adults?
Probably not, but my guess will be some will handle it and enjoy it while others will get tired of the life and want their own space. Still amazing to see while it lasts

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Pckts - 05-17-2016

BigCat Rescue animal Weights

*This image is copyright of its original author

Check out this monster known as Shere Khan

*This image is copyright of its original author

Shere Khan is probably one of our best known and most loved animals. It is a toss up as to who is bigger, Shere Khan or Nikita the tiger, but his heart is so big that it is legendary.
Today Dr. Wynn stitched up a scrape on his leg and removed a tumor that was growing under his tongue that was about the size of a grape. It is a testament to the amazing observation skills of our Keepers that so many noticed it. It was UNDER his tongue!
We will send it out for testing and drew blood for other studies, gave him a micro chip and his vaccinations and he should be fine to release back into his Cat-a-tat tomorrow.
He did not wake up fully enough to keep his new stitches dry in this heavy rain, so he is waking up in the Cat Hospital.
Nik the tiger has been moved to the Shere Khan and China Doll side and China Doll has been moved to Nik’s side in the hopes that more space for this duo will stop the agitation they have at seeing Nikita. Volunteers have hung three layers of shade cloth, but they still do their best to see each other across the long, wide hallway that separates the 3 ac enclosure from the 1 ac one.
He seems to be waking up well, breathing well and we hope he will be ready to move back outside tomorrow morning

*This image is copyright of its original author

Shere Khan weighed more than 700 lbs w/ head, legs and tail off scale

*This image is copyright of its original author

http://bigcatrescue.org/today-at-big-cat-rescue-feb-6/

*This image is copyright of its original author

and here is Nikita said to be just as large as Shere Khan

*This image is copyright of its original author

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Pckts - 05-17-2016

When life is good, Tunya, a 435-pound lion at the San Francisco Zoo, has sex 20 times a day and gets treats like "blood popsicles" or dead rabbits.
When life is bad, he shakes and trembles. Technically speaking, Tunya is a wobbler -- he sometimes has trouble putting weight on his front legs, and endures pain that can last for days.
On Thursday, vets at the zoo sent Tunya to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at UC Davis. The diagnosis: a cervical vertebral abnormality. The conclusion: no easy fix. The next step: unclear, but possibly another commute on Interstate 80 for high-risk surgery that might or might not cure his ills.

Tunya's rare troubles began about a year and a half ago. Zoo officials have observed two more shaking episodes since then, the most recent three weeks ago.
Dr. Freeland Dunker, head vet at the zoo, concluded that the area between Tunya's sixth and seventh vertebrae was skewed, resulting in a pinched nerve, and that surgery was the answer.
And so, at 5 a.m., Tunya and six zoo employees left for UC Davis, a world mecca
medicine.
It was the first time the zoo had brought an animal to Davis for surgery, Dunker said -- though it was not the first lion for Davis. And it was Tunya's first excursion since April 1997, when he arrived from South Africa, with much fanfare, at the age of 3 months.

*This image is copyright of its original author

http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/A-lion-in-whimper-The-pride-of-S-F-Zoo-s-pride-2750776.php

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Pckts - 05-17-2016

Lion undergoes rare brain surgery at UT Veterinary Medical Center

Chiari Eds, Clear Awareness, Chiari Decompression, Chiari Warrior, Chiari Zipperhead, Arnold Clear, Chiari Blog, Vet Tech, Chiari Awarness
330 lb. lion, Ramses has Arnold Chiari Malformation, too.(Lion undergoes rare brain surgery at UT | wbir.com) lions get it too Sad

330 lb. lion, Ramses has Arnold Chiari Malformation, too.(Lion undergoes rare brain surgery at UT | wbir.com) - I have Chiari and also LOVE lions. Me and this guy should be best friends
ramsey the lion has chiari decompression surgery at ut med -- from WBIR
330 lb. lion, Ramses has Arnold Chiari Malformation, too!!!

*This image is copyright of its original author

LIMA, Peru (AP) — King was unable to chew normally because most of his teeth had been pulled by the circus owners. Simba's front claws had been removed and his fangs broken.

The lions were among 21 rescued from Peruvian circuses in 2014 by members of Los Angeles-based Animal Defenders International. Activists say the lions were kept in appalling conditions.

"In the circuses they often break their teeth and remove their claws," said Eva Chomba, a Peruvian veterinarian with Animal Defenders. "It's a painful process in which they do not use anesthesia and those doing it are not veterinarians."
On Friday, a team of veterinarians sedated King and Simba to perform dental surgery on the big cats, which weigh more than 160 kilograms (352 pounds) and are 17 and 7 years old, respectively.
U.S. veterinarian Peter Emily, founder of the Peter Emily International Veterinary Dental Foundation, said a previous oral surgery on King had created a small hole between his mouth and nose that had become badly infected.
The veterinarians determined King requires more surgeries and the lion will be taken to an animal sanctuary in Denver, Colorado, in the coming months, Peruvian veterinarian Jorge Hun said.
On Saturday, the veterinarians will look at the teeth of 26 monkeys also rescued from circuses.
Peru banned the use of wild animals in circuses in 2011, but implementation of the law has been slow."
___
Associated Press writers Mauricio Munoz and Martin Mejia contributed to this report.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/feb/20/lions-rescued-from-circuses-in-peru-get-their/

Veterinarians Perform Tooth Extraction on 408-Pound Lion
The 13-year-old lion was suffering from a dental infection and two cracked teeth.
By Cari Jorgensen
4

Published: 2016.02.25 11:15 AM

*This image is copyright of its original author

Mandela the lion’s trip to the dentist.
Perth Zoo/Facebook
During a veterinary exam at Perth Zoo in Australia, 13-year-old Mandela, a 408-pound lion, was found to have a dental infection and a couple of cracked teeth, UPI reports. Veterinary specialists were called in for the extraction.
Simone Vitali BSc, BVMS, PhD, MACVS (Zoo Animal Medicine) and Senior Veterinarian at Perth Zoo told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, “Often predators in captivity give you very little in the way of clinical signs, so we didn't even know that Mandela had a dental infection until we anaesthetized him and had a look. It's quite amazing the sort of things they will tolerate. A tooth infection for us would lay us out for days but with them they just keep trucking on. So it's important for us as custodians to do what we can to make them comfortable, even if they're not giving us an indication that they're not comfortable.”
Mandela remained sedated for two hours while the extraction was performed. “They're big teeth and they take a lot of work to get out so for today we've just removed the one that was infected,” Dr. Vitali told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/veterinarians-perform-tooth-extraction-on-408-pound-lion-trending/

*This image is copyright of its original author

Tiny the Lion
His name may be Tiny but he weighs in at around 200kg and is king of the jungle.
But Tiny the African lion was at the mercy of modern medicine after getting a lion-sized hairball stuck in his stomach.
Tiny, who lives with his two brothers at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Smarden, had been taken seriously ill and was vomiting frequently when vets decided he needed surgery. He had to be anaesthetised using a dart and blowpipe by John Kenward, senior vet at Pets Ltd veterinary surgery in Bearsted Road, Weavering, Maidstone, to be brought in.
The surgical team, lead by surgeon Mark Fosbery and head nurse Rita Johnson, spent several hours operating to remove the large doughy mass of horse hair in his stomach.
A three foot-long length of inflamed gut also had to be removed before Tiny was given five litres of fluid and stretchered back to his enclosure.
For the next few days, he was given medication daily, which was administered by being squirted into his mouth through the bars of his den when he opened his massive jaws to roar.
Maralyn Hawkins, from the surgery, said: “It was a life threatening situation for Tiny but fortunately he came through it well.”
She added that the number of staff watching the procedure had to be restricted because there was so much interest. “It isn’t every day you get an opportunity to see a wild animal up close.”
The vets at Weavering has a large animal unit. It also operated on a tiger last year.
http://www.kentonline.co.uk/maidstone/news/big-operation-for-tiny-the-lion--a52117/

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - Pckts - 05-24-2016

A Lion and Tiger unhappy with each other

RE: Zoos, Circuses, Safaris... A Gallery of Captivity - TheLioness - 05-24-2016

The cubs range in weight from 209-277 pounds. Chisulo has been the biggest from the time that the cubs began sampling meat, but Shaka has been catching up. As of last week, Shaka and Chisulo were tied at 126 kg (277 pounds)! That's more than our male Sumatran tiger juvenile, Bandar, who is six months older!

Since Amahle is the youngest female, it's no surprise that she's the smallest. Chisulo, on the other hand, is already 30 pounds larger than his father was at the same age!

Amahle has been the smallest from the beginning and weighs a "petite" 95 kilos, or 209 pounds. It's the product of being the only female among the youngest litter of cubs. What she lacks in size, she makes-up for with a sparkling personality. This little girl is sweet and playful.

Wondering how much the Zoo’s young lions have grown during the past couple of months? Lusaka and Fahari are currently tied for smallest at 216 pounds while Baruti is in the lead—weighing in at 272 pounds! That’s the size of our full-grown male Sumatran tiger, Guntur! It’s no wonder with all the food they are eating. These guys scarf down about eight to ten pounds per day. Think that’s a lot? Our entire pride consumes nearly 600 pounds of food each week!!!

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/GreatCats/Lion/default.cfm

Our veterinarians removed a hairball weighing 3.8 pounds from a lion's stomach yesterday. Arthur, a 450-pound African lion, is the king of his pride at the The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg; he is recovering at home after surgery at our hospital.

This is a very old video. Nikita currently weighs between 500-550 pounds. That is just an estimated because she hasn't been weighed in a long time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R89LEZAzVE
At nearly 500 pounds, Nikita Lioness is larger than even most male lions. She was seized in a drug raid, sent to a zoo, and then saved by Big Cat Rescue. Find her in her favorite spots, up on the platform and back in the bushes to the left of this enclosure. - See more at: http://explore.org/live-cams/player/big-cat-rescue-lioness-nikita#sthash.hYkZDkxg.dpuf