Surgically operated lion remains caged for safety

MARC NKWAME in Arusha

THE young lion that underwent special surgical treatment to cure umbilical hernia will remain under confinement until it gets well enough to hunt for itself.

“At first, the lion’s family had accepted the cub back into its pride, but when the aunt who was away returned and found the newly operated lion among the pack, the lioness started chasing it away,” explained Head of Wildlife and Range Department at Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) Novatus Magoma.

The 11-month lion was left to fend for itself but due to its tender age and illness, it became prone to attacks by other ferocious carnivores like hyenas, prompting NCAA management to recapture and keep the cub under watch, pending its recovery.

“The lion belongs to the largest Leo Family in Ngorongoro and we are concerned that his pride, which had initially accepted him back after the treatment, decided to disown the cub,” said NCAA Public Relations Officer Nickson Nyange.

As it happens, sometimes when something goes wrong with any of their members, lions’ families may decide to disown the animal which is either affected with disease or handicapped.

“Apart from the umbilical hernia, the cub was also suffering from deformity related to stomach muscle linings,” added Mr Magoma, explaining that wildlife experts managed to solve the two problems with single surgical operation.

It was the first surgical operation onto the lion, or any other wildlife species, in the entire East African region. The Lion Cub, which was born in December 2016 will be celebrating its first birthday next month, but its maiden anniversary on earth will be spent inside the cage where it will be recuperating from medical treatment.

Experts detected the swelling abdomen last February and had for the past eight months been monitoring the lion before deciding to treat the wild animal.

“By February, the lion was only three months old, experts wanted it to be much older before they could perform the surgery,” explained Dr Athanas Nyaki who supervised the treatment.

The surgical operation, done right within the Ngorongoro Crater under the assistance of wildlife experts from Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI), was conducted to treat hernia and correct the deformity.

Earlier, Omphalophlebitis, a condition which also results from inflammation and infection of the umbilical vein, was suspected.

While it is the first time for the malady to be seen in Tanzanian lions, some Kenyan elephants were reported to suffer the condition before.