SHE’S NOT TAKING IT LION DOWN
ONE of Australia’s oldest lions is back on the prowl after undergoing surgery to remove a malignant tumour.
Werribee Zoo’s 18-year-old lioness Jarrah had the surgery late last month, after a lump was found on her neck during a regular health check in May.
“This type of tumour isn’t particularly common in lions,” Werribee Zoo senior veterinarian Bonnie McMeekin said.
“But as with all animals, as they age the likelihood of developing any tumour increases.”
The growth, known as a hemangiosarcoma tumour, was larger than a golf ball, and after confirming it was malignant, vets gave Jarrah an ultrasound before going ahead with the surgery.
“When we saw that it wasn’t going away of its own accord, we decided to give Jarrah an anaesthetic and take a biopsy of the mass so we could find out what we were dealing with,” Dr McMeekin said.
The surgery was led by Dr Stewart Ryan, who is a specialist from the University of Melbourne’s Werribee-based U-Vet Animal Hospital.
The surgery’s outcome had been uncertain, given Jarrah’s age and the tumour’s location — close to Jarrah’s jugular vein.
“We could actually see her jugular vein when she was being operated McMeekin said.
Born in 2000 at Melbourne Zoo, Jarrah, along with her mother and aunt, became Werribee Zoo’s first lions when they moved there in 2004.
According to Dr McMeekin, Jarrah is now an “institution” at the zoo. “When you hear a lion roar on site it’s very often Jarrah,” he said. “Knowing that she is going to be roaring for some time to come is a really lovely feeling.” on,” Dr