CHENNAI: For more than two decades, she remained the cynosure of many eyes.




Now, at 24, Heera has retired.




Rescued from a travelling circus when she was 18 months old sometime in the early 2000s, today Heera is arguably the oldest living lion in India. For a lion, which has a life expectancy of 20 years in captivity (and 12 in the wild), Heera’s age is comparable to a 100-year-old human’s. Chennai’s Arignar Anna Zoological Park authorities have moved her away from the visitors’ gaze to the rescue centre attached to the zoo.




“Heera was brought here along with two other lions. We don’t have a record of her birthplace,” said T Ritto Cyriac, zoo director and chief conservator of forests. At the rescue centre, the lioness gets veterinary care including nutritional monitoring.




“Her daily diet comprises 4kg beef with bone, 150g liver and 4kg live chicken. She takes a stroll and sometimes plays with a wooden ball in the enclosure,” says Cyriac. “She takes an occasional stroll outside the enclosure and, yes, growls once or twice a day.”




The rescue centre at Vandalur, established in 2000 under Central Zoo Authority’s initiative, has played a key role in rehabilitating animals rescued from circuses following the Centre’s 1998 ban on the exhibition of wild animals such as lions, tigers, leopards, bears and monkeys.




Between 2000 and 2005, AAZP received 67 lions, 16 tigers, a leopard and four Himalayan black bears from circuses across the country. The centre, which abuts a 92-hectare reserve forest, can accommodate 40 lions and 20 tigers.




Animals that have spent several years at circuses exhibit behavioural abnormalities and age-related health issues associated with prolonged captivity. “Through systematic veterinary interventions, proper nutrition, spacious enclosures and dedicated husbandry practices, the rescue centre restores their health and ensures lifelong wellness,” said a zoo official.