Johor zoo's grand old lion recovering

JOHOR BARU: The emaciated lion which was reportedly in pain when its long claws dug into its paws, preventing the king of the beasts from pawing and gripping is on the road to recovery.
Johor Zoo manager Zakaria Rosli said the 18-year-old named Syarif was quarantined in a special cage to obtain full treatment.
"Sharif is now in a state of recovery after its nails were trimmed, and his appetite and body weight are also increasing as compared to the previous week. The long claws had prevented Sharif from pawing and gripping.
"We hope that after receiving adequate treatment, the lion will regain health as usual and can be transferred to its cage within two to three weeks' time," he told reporters after the Zoo Enrichment Programme with the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda) here today.
Earlier, a video of the lion appearing weak and thin had gone viral in the social media.
Zakaria said Sharif, the oldest among the 13 lions in the zoo was usually active at night, eating three to four kilograms of meat daily to meet its dietary needs.
On the issue of relocating the zoo to Nusajaya, he said the matter had yet to be decided.
"We were informed that the location in Nusajaya covers an area of 50 acres (20.2ha), with 45 acres (18.2ha) to accommodate animals while the rest was for landscaping," he said.
Irda chief executive officer Datuk Ismail Ibrahim had indicated willingness to help in terms of financial aid or site preparation if the relocation was underway. — Bernama