Monday, Jan. 6, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Arnie the lion, a popular attraction at the local zoo, has died. He was 14.
The African lion, suffering from a tumor on his small intestine, was euthanized Saturday, said the zoo's veterinarian, Toby Goldman.
In captivity, a lion's life expectancy is about 10 years -- which is a little longer than in the wild, Goldman said, noting that Arnie lived considerably longer than was expected.
Arnie was the Southern Nevada Zoological and Botanical Park's only African lion and was seen by thousands at the facility at 1775 N. Rancho Drive since his arrival as a cub on Jan. 1, 1983. The three-acre zoo still has mountain lions.
In May 1994, Arnie was the victim of vandals, who threw bricks over the 16-foot cage into the animal's habitat -- one striking the lion on the head, causing him to become ill from a possible concussion. The animal was nursed back to health by zoo officials.
For months prior to the brick-throwing incident, vandals removed plastic slats from the outer 10-foot fence surrounding the habitat where Arnie lived alone, and used the slats to poke the lion in the face.
Zoo officials staked out the area at night and Metro Police stepped up patrols in the area, putting an end to incidents of violence against the lion.
The ailment that led to Arnie being put down blocked the passage of food and resulted in the animal becoming malnourished, the zoo said.
As a 3-month-old cub, Arnie had been given to someone as a gag Christmas gift, only to be left at a local shelter days later.
Longtime zoo Director Pat Dingle went to the shelter on New Year's Eve 1982 and was told by officials that if the zoo didn't take Arnie, he would have to be destroyed.
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