Nelson, Perth Zoo’s beloved lion, dies

Support and condolences for the big cat rolled in via Facebook after Perth Zoo released a statement to its page this afternoon.

“A very tough day for us with the loss of our handsome boy Nelson the African lion,” the statement said.

“Despite the best medical care, he had been unwell for some time with a serious infection and a poor prognosis meant the hard decision had to be made to end any suffering.”

The average life expectancy for a lion is about 12 years.

Nelson was about a month short of his 14th birthday.

The Perth Zoo statement continued: “Nelson was a very much loved part of the Perth Zoo family and his loss is being felt right across our zoo.”