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Cookie, L.A. Zoo's Last Lion, Euthanized After Suffering From Cancer
Photo by The Eye of Brad via the LAist Featured Photos pool
Cookie, the last lion at the Los Angeles Zoo, was euthanized yesterday at the age of 23 after her health had rapidly deteriorated.
A necropsy revealed that the lioness was suffering from cancer, according to City News Service. Cookie has been at the zoo since 1997 along with the male lion Lionel, who died in 2003 at age 23.
Cookie survived a health scare in 2008 when fluid built up in the sac around her heart. She underwent surgery and regained her strength until this year.
Martine Colette, founder of the Angeles National Forest sanctuary, kept Cookie and Lionel as house pets and told The Daily News: "She was a very old lioness. She was a beautiful cat. I will miss her terribly, miss her awfully. She had her very own special roar. She's (now) over the rainbow bridge. She's out there with Lionel."
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