Barami is seen at Cheongju Zoo in North Chungcheong on Oct. 23, 2023.KIM SUNG-TAE
Barami, a 22-year-old male lion at the Cheongju Zoo in North Chungcheong, died Wednesday — around three years after his rescue in a severely underweight condition.
The lion was once called “bone lion” because he was so emaciated that his ribs protruded before the Cheongju Zoo rescued him.
Barami was found dead at the zoo at around 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Cheongju city government.
Left: Barami after being relocated to the Cheongju Zoo in North Chungcheong; Right: Barami when he was underweightJOONGANG ILBO
Although the exact cause of death is yet to be determined, the lion is believed to have died of natural causes related to old age. At 22, the equivalent of nearly 100 in human years, Barami had far outlived the average lion lifespan of 10 to 15 years.
Barami was born at Children’s Grand Park in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, in 2004. He was then relocated to a zoo in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang, in 2016.
However, inadequate care left him so weak that his ribs protruded. After years of living alone in a cramped indoor enclosure, images of his skeletal frame drew public attention and earned him the nickname “bone lion.”
The Cheongju Zoo reached an agreement with his owner and brought Barami to Cheongju on July 5, 2023. He was named Barami — meaning “hope”— in the hope that he would have a better life.
With attentive care from zoo staff, Barami adapted to his new surroundings and regained his health.
Barami, right, is seen with lioness Dodo at Cheongju Zoo in North Chungcheong on Oct. 23, 2023.KIM SUNG-TAE
After arriving at the Cheongju Zoo, Barami lived with Dodo, a 14-year-old lioness. It was an arrangement made in recognition of lions’ social nature and their need for companionship.
His new enclosure covered 1,650 square meters (0.4 acres), about 20 times the size of his previous one. He could walk on soil and climb wooden structures for enrichment. His daughter, Gureumi, who had been temporarily cared for at a zoo in Gangneung, Gangwon, joined him at the Cheongju Zoo in August 2024 with the help of a married couple who are both zookeepers.
“We are grateful to the many people who have cared for and supported Barami over the years,” a representative of the zoo said. “We will remember what Barami’s story has come to represent and continue working to improve animal welfare so that animals can live in better conditions.”
Barami, a male lion, right, plays with lioness Dodo at Cheongju Zoo in North Chungcheong on Aug. 20, 2024.YONHAP
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
