The remaining seven elderly big cats at Whangārei’s Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary will be euthanised this week, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has confirmed.
The sanctuary officially closed over the weekend, marking its final days of public operation.
Facility operator Janette Vallance said the decision was heartbreaking.
“There were no real options left. The staff and I are devastated,” she said in a statement.
“The property is for sale and could potentially continue as a lion park, but this would require both purchase and significant capital investment.”
She thanked supporters and said the legacy of the animals would endure. “The memories and legacy of these incredible animals will live on in the hearts of many.”
Biosecurity NZ deputy director-general Stuart Anderson said MPI had been informed by the park’s operators of the intent to put down the elderly big cats.
“MPI will have an animal welfare inspector onsite to verify this is done appropriately.”
Made famous by its founder Craig “the Lion Man” Busch and the hit TV show of the same name in the early 2000s, the sanctuary, then known as Zion Wildlife Gardens, was once home to 33 endangered big cats.
Busch was dismissed from the park in 2008, and the facility changed hands multiple times over the following decade.
A zookeeper was killed by a tiger in 2009, and Auckland-based Bolton Equities bought the property in 2014, investing $9 million in upgrades to meet government standards.
Rebranded as Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary, the park reopened in 2021 but went into liquidation in 2023. It continued operating under new management and underwent regular MPI welfare checks.
The property was currently on the market, though a buyer was yet to be found.
