Lion cub Tzigane was rescued at the end of 2024 from a circus in France, along with eight other cubs, their mothers Jaia and Rubine, and their father Bryan. The animals have been living at AAP’s rescue centre in Spain ever since. Unfortunately, Tzigane suffers from several health issues. He recently underwent a CT scan and echocardiogram to assess the severity of these problems.
Shortly after arriving at AAP, our veterinarians discovered that Tzigane has a heart condition. He has been receiving treatment for this, while our team closely monitored his development. Recently, we took the young lion to a specialist clinic for a thorough check-up.
A special cub
Nine lion cubs were rescued from filthy transport wagons belonging to a circus in France, together with their two mothers and father. Tzigane and four other white lion cubs were just five months old when they arrived at our rescue centre. Their four darker-coloured siblings were four months old. It quickly became clear that Tzigane was a special cub: his right ear was lopsided and he had other notable physical characteristics.
"Tzigane, like his brothers and sisters, was skinny and in poor health when he arrived at AAP. We immediately noticed that his ear was drooping. At first, we suspected a cartilage abnormality. During the initial medical check, we realised something else was also wrong: his breathing was irregular and sometimes laboured, there was a clear abnormality in his spinal cord and chest, and the chest X-rays raised more questions than answers."
Heart condition
Tzigane remained active and playful, just like the other cubs. However, during a follow-up medical check, we discovered a heart murmur and an enlarged heart. Tests revealed very low vitamin A levels, prompting us to schedule a CT scan and echocardiogram to examine his chest more thoroughly. While awaiting these scans, we began administering vitamin A supplements to Tzigane, as we did with the other cubs.
Tzigane receives special care to support his heart condition. While his siblings develop well and gain muscle mass quickly, Tzigane remains thin and tires more easily. Nevertheless, he continues to be active, curious, and playful.
To the hospital
We took Tzigane to the Fénix Veterinary Hospital in Elche, Alicante to perform a CT scan and echocardiogram. The echocardiogram confirmed a slight heart murmur. To our surprise, his heart was in better condition than expected. It was only mildly enlarged, and the murmur was deemed innocent—one that typically does not cause health issues in animals. Based on these findings, we discontinued his heart medication.
Spinal and skull abnormalities
The CT scan revealed a significant abnormality in Tzigane’s spinal cord, likely due to a congenital malformation. This has led to a malformed chest and reduced space on the right side of his chest cavity. Although his heart is not unusually large, part of his lungs appears to be affected, probably due to the limited space.
Most notably, the dome of his skull—specifically the frontal and parietal bones—is thickened and growing inward towards the skull cavity. This increases pressure on the brain. As Tzigane is still young, this does not seem to affect him yet, but we will continue to monitor his development closely.
Video: Lion cub Tzigane undergoes scan
Ongoing monitoring
Tzigane will require lifelong monitoring, particularly for his bone deformities. However, he is currently stable and displays normal behaviour. As far as we can assess, Tzigane can live a normal life without major health complications. We will continue to keep a close eye on him.
