Former Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary lion Cleo dies, animal rescue group says

One of four lions who faced being put down at a Whangārei animal park has died in her sleep, an animal rescue group says.

In a post on Facebook, HUHANZ said Cleo - a lion based at Kamo Wildlife Park in Northland - had severe non-regenerative anaemia and there was a high suspicion she had internal cancer.

"Before any further intervention was needed, Cleo quietly slipped away in her sleep," the post read.

"Our team have gathered around her, surrounding Cleo with the love, tenderness and respect she deserves. And perhaps there is some comfort in knowing that when Cleo showed us something was wrong, we acted immediately.

"We got her the veterinary care she needed and, importantly, we now understand that there was an underlying illness that we could not have fixed."

Cleo was born at Kamo Wildlife Park and spent her 20 years there.