Tobias, leader of Denver Zoo’s African lion pride, euthanized after severe infection

The Denver Zoo’s African lion pride leader was euthanized Wednesday after a severe infection spread to his lung and bones, the Zoo announced Thursday.

Tobias, the seven-year-old lion, had several other medical conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease and chronic kidney disease, when the veterinary team at the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Animal Hospital found the infection.

“Our Animal Care Specialists and Veterinary Medicine team made the difficult decision to euthanize Tobias to relieve any suffering given the poor prognosis,” a post of the Denver Zoo’s Facebook page stated.

Tobias was born at the Buffalo Zoo in 2016 and moved to the Denver Zoo in 2018 as part of a species survival plan to join Denver’s pride and support conservation efforts.

Tobias had three adorable cubs at the Denver Zoo, Tatu, Oskar and Araali, and his care team said he was a great father.

“He was an incredible father who enjoyed playing, snuggling and teaching his offspring everything they needed to know about how to be a lion,” according to the post.

The remaining members of the pride are still doing well, but animal care specialists will closely monitor Araali, Neliah, Kamara, and Sabi over the next few weeks, zoo officials said.