Kivú the lion

Following Kivú's death, many people turned to FUNDAZOO’s facebook profile blaming the organization for keeping the lion in his metal cage during most of his life.

Kivú, the beloved lion whose living conditions at the Simón Bolívar Zoo in San José were the subject of fierce debate, died from complications related to chronic kidney disease.

A final recommendation on the lion’s fate will be announced Thursday to the Ministers of Environment, and Agriculture and Livestock, followed by a public announcement.

Laboratory tests conducted on the lion last month showed symptoms of chronic kidney disease. Results are now under evaluation in a laboratory in the United States.

Kivú has been behaving normally as he recovers from anesthesia; he drank water and ate beef, chicken and innards.

Kivú’s new home it’s a 300-square-meter (some 3,300 square feet) area away from visitors and surrounded by nature.

Environment Minister Édgar Gutiérrez confirmed that the government has received three requests from organizations willing to provide Kivú with a new home and finally get him out of his cage for good.

Officials of the Fundación Pro Zoológicos, the administrator of the Simón Bolívar Zoo, announced that they will launch a fundraiser to build a new space for Kivú the lion at his current home in downtown San José.

Officials from the Environment and Agriculture ministries said their ruling on Kivú is final and that no further appeals will be considered.

A report from a recent inspection ordered the lion to be moved to a new, bigger space that should resemble an African Savannah with trees, plants, a pond and trails.