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Lioness Rescued From Joe Exotic's Zoo Undergoes Surgery

Lioness Rescued From Joe Exotic's Zoo Undergoes Surgery

Chobe had suffered from years of inbreeding, however surgeons hope she will be able to live out the rest of her days in peace.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

A lioness rescued from Joe Exotic's Tiger King zoo has undergone surgery.

Chobe was saved from the Oklahoma park in 2018 and has been living out her better days at the WildCat Ridge Sanctuary.

Staff were concerned when they realised the animal wasn't eating much and a scan confirmed she had a distended uterus caused by an infection.

The massive animal was taken to Oregon State University's veterinary hospital this week and she had her ovaries and uterus removed.

SWNS

Dr. Katy Townsend, an associate professor of small animal surgery in the Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine who operated on Chobe, said: "Essentially it's just like doing a cat spay, but on a mega scale.

"Surgery went really well. We were able to cleanly get everything out in a short amount of time. We expect her to make a full recovery from this."

Before she had the procedure done, the cat was also taken to the Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital to get a CT scan.

When Chobe was brought to the WildCat Ridge Sanctuary, experts realised the five-year-old was a victim of years of inbreeding.

Sanctuary executive assistant Ian Ford said the inbreeding done at Joe Exotic's facility led to Chobe being a 'mismatch of genetics' and was a little stubby in appearance. While she resembles 'a giant guinea pig', she is still 'a very sweet and expressive animal'.

Ford just hopes that the surgery will allow the animal to get back to its healthy, adorable self.

"Just having her roll around in the grass with her buddy Kariba and back to getting her paws up in the air and just enjoying herself," he said.

SWNS

"We're hoping that this surgery is going to make sure that everything's oj for her, and she can get back to just living her life in peace and happiness, which is the only thing that we want for all of our residents."

The zoo formerly owned by Tiger King star Joe Exotic is now the subject of an investigation following numerous animal welfare complaints.

Police confirmed that Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, USA, was being investigated by numerous agencies. Injured animals at the zoo have already been taken into veterinary care.

The zoo belonged to Exotic before he began a 22-year prison sentence, having been convicted in 2019 of attempting to hire a hitman to kill Big Cat Rescue CEO Carole Baskin - as well as a series of violations of the Endangered Species Act, including killing five tigers.

Featured Image Credit: SWNS

Topics: News, Animals