‘Inseparable, Bonded’ Lion Couple Die Within Days Of One Another

Zenda, the male lion (left, above), and Isis, the lioness (forefront, above), were two African lions who lived at Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.

Brookfield Zoo is managed by the non-profit organization the Chicago Zoological Society, whose mission is "to inspire conservation leadership by engaging people and communities with wildlife and nature."

Both of the beautiful creatures arrived at Brookfield Zoo back in 2008, and according to Brookfield Zoo's website, the pair were "an inseparable bonded pair in all the years since".

However, sadly, as the new decade dawned, tragedy struck.

In fact, that is actually quite an impressive age for the pair of lions, however, for a pair as inseparable as these two, any amount of time was too short!

As the zoo announced, "The new year has begun on a very sad note at Brookfield Zoo, as we have had to announce the passing of our male and female African lions, Zenda and Isis."

Apparently, just before Christmas, the zoo staff noticed that Zenda was having trouble walking. Vets tried to treat the symptoms, however, the decision was made to humanely euthanize poor Zenda.

But, the tragedy didn't stop there.

Less than two weeks later, Isis fell from a height in the enclosure. Although, despite the vets' quick work, they again decided that their only option was to humanely euthanize her due to the extent of her injuries.

A lot of fans of the zoo shared their own pictures of the pair, and expressed their love for the majestic beasts, with one such person writing on the zoo's Facebook page: "My condolences to every single caretaker and supporter at the zoo. I'm pretty sure Zenda is celebrating his reunion with Isis already."

Either way, the story of their wonderful love will live on!

h/t: Yahoo