Bhubaneswar: An African male lion brought from Tel Aviv in 2015 was found dead in Nandanakanan zoo on Wednesday morning.

Zoo officials said the lion aged around eight years had been seriously ill from Tuesday and was undergoing treatment. Now, the lion population of the zoo dwindled to 12, including seven females.

"Post-mortem of the lion revealed that it died of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis. A team of experts from the OUAT's College of Veterinary Science have collected samples to find out the causative agent," said zoo deputy director Jayant Dash.

The zoo had in 2015 brought two pairs of lion from Israel with to increase its population. It used to house more than 50 lions a decade ago.

"Though the lions have a average life span of 20 years, both the lions brought from Israel died young. We were sceptical when the lions were brought to the zoo from the foreign country due to change in environment. But, those managed to acclimatise with the zoo environment," said an official.

"We have also started disinfecting the lion enclosures. Staff members have been asked to keep tabs on the lion enclosures," said Dash.

The zoo will also bring a pair of grey wolves from the Mysore zoo under animal exchange programme.