Mumbai: Oldest captive lion Ravindra dies at Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Ravindra - the oldest captive male lion at Borivali national park. Pic/SGNP

The oldest captive male lion in the city died due to age-related issues on Monday. Ravindra - the oldest captive male lion which was once the tourists' attraction at the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), died on Monday evening.

Talking to mid-day, Clement Ben, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF) Wildlife - West said, "Captive male lion Ravindra from Sanjay Gandhi National Park who was 17-year-old died on Monday evening. He was suffering from age-related issues for the last two years and was under the medical supervision of the vet committee."

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The post-mortem of the captive lion will be done on Tuesday. Ravindra was brought to SGNP from Banergatta Zoo on September 21, 2009 and his age was about four-year-old at that time.

The captive tiger and 12-hectare lion safari at SGNP was started in 1990s and since then it has been one of the important tourist attractions for people visiting the park. SGNP's captive tiger safari is hugely popular among visitors. The biggest draws are the park's captive lions and tigers. But, with the animals either dying of old age or illnesses, the authorities are concerned.

With Ravindras death, the SGNP now has only one captive lion named Jespa who is 12-year-old.