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Female lion leaving New Brunswick zoo after she attacks unwilling mate
By Kevin Bissett (CP) – 19 hours ago
MONCTON , N.B. — There's no jungle love in the lion enclosure at New Brunswick 's Magnetic Hill Zoo, and that's left an older lioness so frustrated and angry she has resorted to violence.
Bruce Dougan, general manager of the zoo in Moncton , said Tuesday that Kito became depressed after her longtime mate, Marshall, became ill and had to be put down in February.
"Generally these big cats live for 15 to 20 years and, when the mate passes on, we see a change in the personality of the remaining animal," he said.
The zoo brought in two lion cubs - a male and a female - to be company for Kito and to form a new pride for her.
Azizi is the male cub while the female is called Amara.
Dougan said the three lions got along until Kito went into heat and the young male didn't know what to do.
"He had no idea what his role was in this, so she became very frustrated with him," Dougan said. <span style="font-weight: bold">"That frustration turned to anger, that anger turned to aggression and she got to the point where she had a hate on for him and she was beating on him pretty good."</span>
Azizi required stitches to close a serious wound.
Dougan said they performed surgery on the older female to prevent her from going into heat, but it didn't curb her anger and she attacked Azizi again, this time leaving him with wounds to his back, tail and hind leg.
"This happens in the wild too," Dougan said. "Generally when a male leaves a pride or dies and a young male comes to take over that pride, the females really take him to task to make sure he's tough enough to protect them."
In this case, though, zoo staff have decided to send Kito to a zoo in Seagrave, Ont., where they got her almost 10 years ago when she was just six months old.
Dougan said the owner of the Northwood Zoo has agreed to integrate Kito into an all-female pride of lions that are all about her age.
He said if that doesn't work, they'll try another location, or return Kito to Moncton .
In the meantime, Azizi will be able to lick his wounds and relax.
"He's a big, goofy, adolescent, happy-go-lucky, gentle giant," Dougan said. "He's not a very aggressive or dominant male ... but he gets along very well with the young female he's with."
Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
By Kevin Bissett (CP) – 19 hours ago
MONCTON , N.B. — There's no jungle love in the lion enclosure at New Brunswick 's Magnetic Hill Zoo, and that's left an older lioness so frustrated and angry she has resorted to violence.
Bruce Dougan, general manager of the zoo in Moncton , said Tuesday that Kito became depressed after her longtime mate, Marshall, became ill and had to be put down in February.
"Generally these big cats live for 15 to 20 years and, when the mate passes on, we see a change in the personality of the remaining animal," he said.
The zoo brought in two lion cubs - a male and a female - to be company for Kito and to form a new pride for her.
Azizi is the male cub while the female is called Amara.
Dougan said the three lions got along until Kito went into heat and the young male didn't know what to do.
"He had no idea what his role was in this, so she became very frustrated with him," Dougan said. <span style="font-weight: bold">"That frustration turned to anger, that anger turned to aggression and she got to the point where she had a hate on for him and she was beating on him pretty good."</span>
Azizi required stitches to close a serious wound.
Dougan said they performed surgery on the older female to prevent her from going into heat, but it didn't curb her anger and she attacked Azizi again, this time leaving him with wounds to his back, tail and hind leg.
"This happens in the wild too," Dougan said. "Generally when a male leaves a pride or dies and a young male comes to take over that pride, the females really take him to task to make sure he's tough enough to protect them."
In this case, though, zoo staff have decided to send Kito to a zoo in Seagrave, Ont., where they got her almost 10 years ago when she was just six months old.
Dougan said the owner of the Northwood Zoo has agreed to integrate Kito into an all-female pride of lions that are all about her age.
He said if that doesn't work, they'll try another location, or return Kito to Moncton .
In the meantime, Azizi will be able to lick his wounds and relax.
"He's a big, goofy, adolescent, happy-go-lucky, gentle giant," Dougan said. "He's not a very aggressive or dominant male ... but he gets along very well with the young female he's with."
Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
in the cawna.
a lie 
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