A Lioness Death Was Politically Correct

I still cannot get over the loss of T’Savo. I just could not understand why another sanctuary would choose to have their female big cats undergo such an invasive surgery when the animals would not be in contact with any intact males. For you see, I thought all sanctuaries had their male cats neutered so as to reduce their testosterone level resulting in a calmer kitty and ensure no big cat pregnancies.

I was lamenting my woes with a friend when he explained to me why many sanctuaries choose to have the female cats, more specifically lionesses, are spayed and the males are left intact.

Apparently, many sanctuaries do not want to neuter their male lions because, like the WAO lions, the animals’ testosterone levels drops significantly resulting in the loss of their “majestic” manes. So, instead, they elect to have the lionesses undergo this dangerous invasive surgery (yes dangerous because whenever an animal undergoes anesthesia, there is a risk of death) just so the male manes are left intact for those all important photos for soliciting donations. When a male lion is neutered, the surgery is much less invasive and the post-op recovery time is significantly reduced.

T’Savo had serious health conditions due to her diet she received while living at the WAO (vitamin A deficiency resulting in seizures). But regardless of severity of her health issues, moving T’Savo from TX to MN was undoubtedly a traumatic event in her life, and she needed at least 6+ months to adjust to her new environment before she was doped up and the vet began to chop away at her with surgical knives.

One thing I noticed was how many comments people made on the sanctuary’s Facebook announcement of T’Savo’s death. No one seemed overtly concerned as to how she died. I had heard the AR mantra "better dead than bred" said before, but I just could not believe how easy people accept the death of a lioness due to “spaying.”

If T’Savo was never going to be introduced to an intact male, then why was she spayed? Was it because the sanctuary feared if people found out the sanctuary had an intact female on the property, that the assumption would be that this sanctuary was breeding its animals? Or did they intend to introduce her to an intact male? What about Kira, her cage mate? What will happen to her now? Will she be “spayed” too? If so, are they risking her life needless too?

I just pray if anyone reading this blog is contemplating whether or not he/she should have their intact lioness “fixed,” that he or she considers the pros and cons of this invasive surgery. A lioness should not die just to be “politically correct.”