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A roaring presence at the Franklin Park Zoo falls silent
By adamg on Thu, 04/09/2015 - 2:48pm
Zoo New England announced today that Christopher the Lion has died. He was 21.
Christopher, born in Florida, had lived at Franklin Park since 2001 - and exceeded the average lifespan of a lion in captivity by more than four years.
In a statement, Zoo New England President John Linehan said:
He was an incredible ambassador for his species and people were drawn to his impressive roar, which could be heard throughout the zoo. Perhaps the only thing more impressive than his roar was his imposing physical presence. Christopher truly was the king of the Franklin Park Zoo.
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Comments
I hope he enjoyed his life.
With all the issues surrounding zoos and the treatment of animals in them, I'd like to think (maybe naively) that this lion enjoyed a longer, more fulfilling life than he would have in the wild. He looks happy on that rock anyway.
Christopher LOVED his rock!
Christopher LOVED his rock!
I remember when he first showed up
My kids were small and we had an annual membership.
Christopher used to have a great deal of fun with the kids in the embedded jeep that allows visitors to walk a ways into the enclosure without being at risk. He would sit atop that damn jeep, wait for people to arrive, then reach down and BANG the windows and windshield with his fat paws.
Pro tip
He wasn't happy, but frustrated that he couldn't kill and eat your children.
Possibly
Cats are cats, however ... they do things for their own amusement (like the way my housecat throws her "mousebird" toy around).
Perhaps it was just entertaining to him to freak the little creatures out. Otherwise, I suspect he would have lost interest eventually.
Male lions in the wild don't
Male lions in the wild don't die of "old age".
Is Little Joe still there?
Is Little Joe still there?
Yes, Little Joe is still at
Yes, Little Joe is still at the Tropical Forest and is in the exhibit every other day.
Sad news!
Sad news!
We visited the Zoo two years ago, early cold spring. We were with a friend and a toddler, arrived early morning. Christopher was very energetic, he roared a lot and he came close to the viewing glass, stood up on his hind legs and vigorously scratched the glass with his front paws, for quite a while. It was such a display!
I had the pleasure of a
I had the pleasure of a "backstage" tour with a friend at the Tufts vet program a number of years ago. The big cat house where they head in for shelter/care/etc offers nothing more than some iron bars in two rows between people in the house and the cats in their pens. Apparently Christopher is well known to the staff there for charging and roaring when unfamiliar people came in. I was pretty close to needing a wardrobe change, myself. I imagine he thought it was fairly entertaining though. Loud as f***.
:(
I finally decided to visit the zoo last fall, having lived in Boston since '01. While most of the facilities were in sub-par shape, his area looked very well kept and it was a pleasure to hear the big guy roar. RIP Christopher, sad news indeed.
<3
Family favorite
My little ones' favorite thing to do at the zoo was to sit on the bench on the other side of the glass from Christopher and wait for him to roar while eating their bag lunches. He will be sorely missed.