Our beautiful rare African Lion, Hulk, is recovering well from an important surgery on his right eye after experiencing sudden deterioration from a pre-existing condition.

The seven-year-old male was born with an unidentified congenital eye condition that showed as a slight discolouration but had no impact on his vision for the previous six years.

With the help of three Veterinarians - including Specialist Veterinarians Dr. Blyde and Zoo Vet Dr. Mike Cannon - and two Veterinarian Nurses, we were able to successfully treat his condition in a tense two-hour operation without complications.

“Surgery was routine and went as planned, thanks to the good planning and great team of people we had there” Dr. Blyde said.

Dr. Cannon added, “The eye was very uncomfortable prior to the operation and we have been able to manage that till now; with this surgery he seems to be much more comfortable”.

Central Coast Zoo Zookeeper Caroline Shemwell says Hulk has been recovering well within an off-display facility in the zoo’s Savannah Sanctuary, and began a staged integration process to move back into his enclosure this week.

“As you can probably imagine the entire staff here have been really concerned about Hulk’s health so we are all very relieved to see him getting back to his regular playful self” Ms. Shemwell said.

“The reintegration process is staggered across a number of stages to slowly reintroduce Hulk back into the pride as safely as possible due to his being kept isolated from the others to lower risk of infection while he recovered from surgery”.

Central Coast Zoo has an Animal Sponsorship Program that allows the public to sponsor an animal of choice, including African Lions, to help cover costs of food, enrichment and veterinary procedures.

We operate the Central Coast Zoo on a private basis and bookings for animal encounters are essential for access. Amazement Farm & Fun Park in Wyong Creek is open to the public daily from 9.30am to 4pm.