Marjan the Lion Dies of Old Age
He survived a king, a coup, Soviet occupation, communist rule, moujahedeen battles, the Taliban and a U.S. bombing campaign. But on Saturday, the only lion in Afghanistan died of old age in Kabul Zoo.
“He had not eaten for a few days, and this morning I discovered him dead in his cage,” said zookeeper Shir Agha Omar, who had cared for Marjan for the last eight years.
The one-eyed Marjan was believed to be about 23. Lame and almost toothless, the beast was subjected to daily taunts and teasing from most visitors to the run-down zoo.
A Taliban fighter once climbed into Marjan’s enclosure to prove his bravery, only to be killed by the lion. The man’s brother returned and lobbed a grenade at Marjan, blinding and disfiguring him and injuring his legs.
Marjan was the subject of a rescue mission by the World Society for the Protection of Animals, which last month sent a team to Kabul to look after the lion and the few remaining occupants of the zoo.
They wanted to transfer the animals to facilities in India and Pakistan, but Kabul municipality refused, determined to reconstruct the zoo.
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