Daejeon Aquarium White Lion 'Bomun' Dies After Battling Rare Disease

Weak Joints Could Not Support Weight as Bomun Grew

The death of Bomun, the baby white lion who was the mascot of Daejeon Aquarium, was only recently made public.

According to Yonhap News on April 24, Bomun, a seven-month-old white lion cub raised at Daejeon Aquarium, died on April 2. The suspected cause of death is 'multiple osteochondrodysplasia,' a rare congenital joint disorder that Bomun was born with.

Baby white lion, Bomoon. Daejeon Aquarium

The white lion is a genetically rare species found in the Timbavati region of South Africa. Bomun was a female lion born on August 28 last year to a pair of white lions named Leo and Remy.

At the time, it was observed that the mother lion was inexperienced in rearing her cub and failed to provide adequate care after birth, so Bomun was hand-reared by a zookeeper.

Bomun was introduced to the public in November last year and received much love from Daejeon citizens. However, recently, suspicions arose on social media regarding Bomun's whereabouts, with some users questioning whether the lion had died.

A Daejeon Aquarium official told the media, "As Bomun grew and gained weight, her weak joints could not support her due to the rare disorder, and her condition gradually deteriorated. Since Bomun was a wild animal, we held out hope that she could overcome the illness and tried various treatments. However, her condition worsened rapidly starting last month, and she eventually passed away."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.