Alva Review-Courier -

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An ailing 16-year-old African lion named Avus has died at the Topeka Zoo.

The zoo said Friday in a Facebook post that the zoo had been able to manage the lion's age-related issues until staff noticed a "significant decline in his well-being" this week. The staff tried a new medication and decided to euthanize him after his condition failed to improve. The post described Avus as "an easy favorite to staff and guests alike."

Avus was born at the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin, on Oct. 14, 2004. He came to the Topeka Zoo in 2006 to mate with two lionesses and sired a fe...