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Beloved lioness dies at Minnesota Wildcat Sanctuary

By Gunnar Olson
Updated  June 3, 2021 10:27am CDT
Wild Nature
FOX 9
Minnesota Wildcat Sanctuary lion article

Lioness Shanti Deva died this week at the age of 26. (Minnesota Wildcat Sanctuary)

SANDSTONE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 26-year-old lioness at Sandstone, Minnesota’s Wildcat Sanctuary died this week, the rescue announced. 

Shanti Deva arrived at the rescue in 2006 just before Christmas with two other lions after a game farm in the Catskill’s of New York sold her to the highest bidder. 

Lioness Shanti Deva dies at Wildlife Sanctuary in Sandstone, Minnesota

The lioness Shanti Deva died at the age of 26 this week. The Wildcat Sanctuary, of Sandstone, Minnesota, said the lioness was one of its most beloved cats. (The Wildcat Sanctuary)

In a release Thursday, the sanctuary said Shanti Deva was the "alpha leader of the pride of three lions" exhibiting "adventurous" and "talkative" behavior." 

She outlived her other pride members, too and was the only lion at the sanctuary for a while until a group was rescued from Argentina in 2018. The rescue said she would "carol" with the other lions by roaring back and forth with them. 

Minnesota Wildcat Sanctuary lion

Shanti Deva sleeps at the Minnesota Wildcat Sanctuary. The beloved lioness was known for her outgoing personality and being the leader of the rescue's lion pack. (Minnesota Wildcat Sanctuary)

"Shanti Deva touched the hearts of everyone who knew her. She was adored by our caregivers, staff, interns and donors as well as the millions of people who followed her life and story on our social media pages," said Tammy Thies, Founder and Executive Director of The Wildcat Sanctuary. "She was the matriarch of our sanctuary. At 26, she was one of the oldest cats to ever live at the sanctuary; she had a strong, indomitable spirit. Our hearts are broken at her passing but we are forever grateful for the years we had with our beautiful Shanti."  

The Wildcat Sanctuary cares for about 100 wildcats at its rescue. It routinely takes in big cats if it has habitat space. 

The park made headlines last week when it accepted several tigers and lions seized by the U.S. Department of Justice from the owners of an animal park in Oklahoma featured in the Netflix series "Tiger King." It did not disclose how many cats it received from Tiger King Park, but 68 lions, tigers and lion-tiger hybrids were seized by the Department of Justice.