The last seven surviving big cats at Whangārei’s famous lion park will be euthanised this week. 

Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary facility operator Janette Vallance said the difficult decision had been made by owners Bolton Equities. 

“This has been an incredibly hard time for all of us,” she said. 

The remaining big cats are elderly, aged between 18 and 21 years. 

“There were no real options left,” Vallance said. “The staff and I are devastated.” 

The Northern Advocate has reported before expert comment stating the big cats are unable to be released into the wild as they lack the hunting and social skills needed to survive. 

Rehoming them to a zoo, sanctuary or a suitably registered welfare centre was unlikely because of the number of big cats involved. 

Bolton Equities told the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) yesterday they intended to put down the last of the park’s big cats. 

Biosecurity New Zealand deputy director-general Stuart Anderson said euthanasia needed to be carried out humanely in line with the Animal Welfare Act. 

Shikira was born in 2004 at the Rhino & Lion Nature Reserve at Krugersdorp, South Africa, but has been homed at the Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary. 

“MPI will have an animal welfare inspector onsite to verify this is done appropriately.” 

Vallance said the park has officially closed to the public following its final weekend of trade. 

The 32.5ha property that is home to the Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary hit the market in August and is yet to attract a buyer. 

“While it could potentially continue as a lion park under new ownership, such a future would require not only the purchase of the land but significant capital investment,” Vallance said. 

As for her next step, given she has called the park home for years, Vallance respectfully declined to comment on future plans, stating they were private. 

“We thank the community and media for their support over the years,” she said. 

Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary facility operator Janette Vallance. Photo / NZME 

The park had once been home to 33 endangered cats that had included lions, white tigers, leopards and cheetahs. 

That was in the early 2000s when it was still under its original name Zion Wildlife Gardens, and when controversial founder Craig Busch, dubbed “The Lion Man”, and his mother Patricia Busch were at the helm. 

Controversial Lion Man Craig Busch founded the park in 2022. Photo / NZME 

The country’s only black leopard, Mandla, had lived at the sanctuary until a rapid health decline meant he was euthanised in 2023. 

While the Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary has had a troubled past, today MPI was satisfied the sanctuary continued to meet animal welfare and containment obligations. 

The big cats moved to Gray Rd property in 2003 from Puketotara in Kerikeri. Craig and Patricia had planned to oversee an exotic display of animals including wild cats, deer, zebra, and horses. 

The addition to the Whangārei suburb met some mixed reactions at the time, with people concerned about the impact on traffic, safety and noise. 

A Te Kamo resident told council in a submission they could hear the lions’ roars from 8km away. Others said they liked the sound. 

Towards the middle of 2004, the sanctuary’s household fame began when cameras filmed at the park for nine weeks for the TV2 series Lion Man. The show followed Craig as he tried to join a worldwide breeding and conservation programme for endangered big cats. 

The good times began to unravel in 2006 when the park faced financial difficulties in 2006. Busch accepted a bailout from his mother, who became the sole director. 

In 2008 when the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry expressed concerns over animals kept in crowded, unsanitary conditions, as well as lions and tigers kept in the same enclosure. 

The ministry had then considered finding a new operator, or euthanising the park’s big cats, among other options. 

A year later, a zookeeper was killed by a big cat while cleaning out a cage. A temporary closure and safety upgrades took place. 

White tigers pictured in an enclosure in 2011 when the park was still Zion Wildlife Gardens. Photo / APN 

Busch’s mother lost control of the park in 2013 to a finance company because of mortgage defaults. 

Auckland-based Bolton Equities bought the property in 2014 and invested $9 million in upgrades to meet government requirements. The park reopened under new management in 2021 and was rebranded Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary. 

The park went into liquidation in 2023 but reopened for public visits and underwent regular verification by the Ministry for Primary Industries. 

The Northern Advocate has approach Bolton Equities for comment.