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A struggling wildlife sanctuary in New Zealand has revealed it was compelled to euthanise two of its senior lions, with the outcome of the remaining five lions still unclear, following economic struggles.

The private wildlife sanctuary in the northern city of Whangārei closed its doors over the weekend.

In a social media post, the facility indicated that its owner had listed the land up for sale in August, and the seven lions, ranging from 18 and 21 years old, would be euthanised “following a difficult decision made by the property owner.”

“No viable alternatives remained. The employees and I are deeply saddened,” stated the sanctuary’s operator.

“While it could potentially continue as a big cat facility under different management, such a outcome would require not only the purchase of the land but considerable financial backing,” the manager noted.

In a recent update, the facility confirmed that two of its lions had been euthanised.

“We recently farewelled two of our lions, both of whom had grave illnesses that were incurable and were declining. These decisions were made with utmost compassion and thoughtfulness,” the operator stated.

However, there was a “ray of hope” for the remaining five lions, which the sanctuary had earlier indicated would be humanely killed.

“A few individuals have shown interest in buying the property and maintaining care for the lions. Although the window is limited and the conditions remain unresolved, we are doing all we can to pursue this option and keep hope alive.”

Relocating the lions to another facility was not a “viable or compassionate option” due to their age, the group size involved, and their specialized requirements.

The sanctuary’s updates were overwhelmed by responses from members of the public, pleading for a second chance for the surviving lions, while past workers expressed desire that the facility would rethink the decision to euthanise them.

The operator mentioned that alongside the sympathetic words and words of condolence, she had also encountered threatening and abusive comments.

“This is extremely upsetting,” she commented. “We understand that passions are strong, but we appeal for kindness and courtesy as we handle this devastating circumstance.”

The property owner chose not to respond.

The government department indicated that the decision to humanely kill the cats was the responsibility of the owners, and that it had been notified of the plan.

A senior official explained that humane killing had to be carried out humanely, and in compliance with wildlife regulations.

“An animal welfare inspector will be on location to verify this is done properly,” the official noted. “We are confident that the facility continues to fulfill its wildlife protection and containment requirements.”

The sanctuary gained minor fame in the early part of the century when it appeared on a TV program about a celebrity big cat handler.

However, it soon faced challenges. In 2009, a handler was fatally attacked by a white tiger while performing maintenance.

The facility repeatedly ran into monetary difficulties and employment issues, and had multiple owners multiple times. In 2014, the ministry of primary industries directed the facility to close until the enclosures were improved. It reopened in 2021 but faced insolvency in 2023.