Is there a lion on the loose in Costa Rica? That's a question the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) hopes to answer after reports of a sighting in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí.
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.
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.
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.
