Dezi had reached the ripe old age of 20 years and passed away after a severe injury to her leg left veterinarian Dr Peet Venter with no other choice than to put her down.
Gerrie Camacho, a carnivore scientist of the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, told Corridor Gazette that Dezi had been living in the game reserve for the past 16 years.
According to him, the lioness was very old and her body had started to deteriorate due to multiple injuries.
“Within the last three weeks she started getting a lot of injuries and her body declined quickly. I think what contributed to this was a young male lion who broke into Lionspruit from the Kruger National Park (KNP). He started eating the food that had been put out for Dezi and started dominating the area. As a result, she was too scared to come out to eat and then tried to hunt.”
Camacho said in the process of hunting, Dezi injured her paw, which later developed into gangrene and septicaemia.
She had lain in one spot for a few days without leaving the area, even after Camacho and Venter tried to lure her out. After creating a path to Dezi, the decision was taken that she would have to be put down.
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According to Camacho, the lioness had fought for her life to the very end. Venter darted her and put her on a euthanasia drip.
“It was a difficult thing to do, but it was necessary. We all shed a tear afterwards. We can only pay tribute to this female that kept her fighting spirit to survive until the last minute,” said Camacho.
“Dezi had reached twice the age that lions usually do in the wild. That is thanks to the fact that she did not experience any competition and pressure from other lions and because she could regularly eat at the vulture restaurant.
“If one examined her teeth, it was clear that none of them were kicked out or damaged during hunting, so they were actually in an excellent condition for a lion her age,” said Camacho.
Dezi, her partner, Fluffy, and another lioness that died a couple of years ago were placed in Lionspruit in 2005. One of the goals of placing them there was to prevent lions moving into this space from the KNP.
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Before this trio arrived in the reserve, there had been an open space for Kruger lions to move freely from the KNP to Marloth Park and the bordering Lionspruit. The lions would then start moving into communities and farms surrounding Marloth.
“Dezi and the other two lions’ activities and roaring in this area prevented the lions from the Kruger moving into areas that they shouldn’t be,” said Camacho.
Due to Fluffy’s old age, Camacho said they are considering introducing new lions into the reserve to prevent this problem.
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