Lion’s death caused by cancer

The controversy behind a lion’s death at a Las Vegas zoo early this month is over — cancer, not a rubber ball, was the cause of death, the veterinarian who performed the necropsy says.

Lab reports from tissue samples taken from Midas, a 10-year-old lion at the Southern Nevada Zoological-Botanical Park, revealed advanced cancer of the colon and the liver, said Dr. Randy Ceballos, an exotic animal veterinarian who is under contract at the zoo.

“Absolutely, it was cancer (that killed Midas),” Ceballos said.

He said it wasn’t possible to determine if the tumors were cancerous at the time of the necropsy. But evidence of a growth in the colon was visible the day Midas was euthanized, the same day the necropsy was performed.

Zoo Director Pat Dingle made no mention of this in statements on June 5, the day after the cat was euthanized. Dingle said no one could tell if the growths were cancerous at that time.

“I didn’t want to call you back on suspicions,” he said. “I wanted to state facts.”

Dingle said his only fact at the time was a half-chewed rubber football found in the cage several days before Midas became ill. He said he still theorizes that Midas’ death may not have been from cancer and that a bowel obstruction, possibly from the football, may have put pressure on his organs.

“We found a lot of blood in the abdomen,” he said. “To be fair, our vet doesn’t think that the bowel obstruction was likely.”

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283