Yesterday morning, December 5th, the Santa Barbara Zoo said goodbye to Chadwick, their African lion, due to complications related to his old age. Chadwick was 21 years old and had been dealing with geriatric issues for several years, having outlived the mean life expectancy by five years.

Chadwick was born in September 1998 at the Indianapolis Zoo and lived in sunny Santa Barbara for 17 years, siring two living offspring with female lion companion Gingerbread, who passed away two years ago.

After Gingerbread passed in 2017, the Zoo staff decided to let Chadwick lead the rest of his life peacefully, without the introduction of new cubs that could cause stress.

The Zoo indicates lions will return to the Zoo in the near future.