Jimmy Doherty has announced the death of one of his farm animals, a magnificent Asiatic lion named Kamal. The 51-year-old TV presenter shared the sad news on Instagram, where fans rushed to support him.
Tribute to an 'old friend'
Doherty wrote: "Today we said goodbye to our magnificent Asiatic lion, Kamal. At 16 years old, Kamal was Britain’s oldest Asiatic lion - an incredible milestone and a testament to the exceptional care he received throughout his life."
He continued: "When Kamal arrived with us last October, our aim was simple: to give him the peaceful retirement he deserved. He settled in well, quickly becoming a firm favourite with both our team and the thousands of visitors who came to admire him. His unmistakable roar around the park is something I’ll never forget."
As Kamal's age caught up with him, Doherty explained: "After careful discussions between our team and veterinary professionals, the difficult decision was made to let him go peacefully. His welfare was, as always, our absolute priority, and we made sure he was able to pass without pain or suffering."
He concluded: "It was an honour to care for such a magnificent lion and to play a part in his remarkable story. Rest easy, old friend."
Jimmy's Farm and Wildlife Park
Jimmy's Farm and Wildlife Park in Suffolk has been crowned VisitEngland's Large Visitor Attraction of the Year and is home to over 100 species. The TV host previously told Express.co.uk that his farm is somewhat unique, featuring a number of unusual animals, from polar bears to monkeys.
He said: "You've got the wildlife park where we've got polar bears, we've got monkeys, we've got our anteaters. So we do different activities with them."
Recalling a playful moment, Doherty said: "One morning, we played hide and seek with our monkeys. We hid all their food around and they had to go and find it. And I remember that for the camera system, it took him about 15 minutes trying to get the GoPro in this special box and tighten it all up. It took the monkey about five seconds to undo it and grab the camera, bite it and run off with it. But we've got some brilliant monkey selfies!"
He described the interaction as “wholesome chaos” and explained that was what the show was all about. Touching on keeping polar bears, Doherty explained: “We have Europe's largest polar bear reserve on the farm. We started off by rescuing one polar bear but now we have three polar bears. We also rescued a brown bear and we're looking at rescuing some other animals as well. So we have over 100 different species on the farm which spans over 70 acres. That is what's important for us, that the bears and the wolves have huge areas to roam.”
