farewell, nimue

Charismatic and energetic female lion dies suddenly at Houston Zoo

Nimue, the energetic female lion, has died.

Photo courtesy of Houston Zoo

Staff at the Houston Zoo are grieving the loss of the animal kingdom’s greatest land-borne predator — Nimue, one of the zoo’s female lions.
The big cat was euthanized by staff on Saturday, July 10 after she was discovered completely unresponsive.

Veterinarians found that an incision has opened following a July 1 surgery to remove bone fragments stuck in her gastrointestinal tract, the zoo reports.
Emergency interventions and care followed; staff made the decision to put the 12-year-old animal down.

This comes after the zoo notes that in her final days of June, Nimue began showing signs of gastrointestinal distress; radiology discovered bone fragments lodged in her stomach. The big cat showed signs of recovery, but then took a turn for the worse.

“It is never an easy decision to euthanize an animal, but it is one we make with the animal’s well-being as the top priority,” said Lisa Marie Avendano, vice president of animal operations at the Houston Zoo, in a statement.

“With world-class animal keepers, five incredible veterinarians, and a complete veterinary clinic, our animals receive the best care possible, and that includes end-of-life decisions.”

Energetic and charismatic, Nimue was known for her engaging persona. She and her sisters, Uzima and Mattie, have been a popular draw for the past 10 years.
“Our team of keepers who have spent more than a decade caring and bonding with this incredible animal are grieving this loss, and we support them through this sad time,” said Avendano.

Nimue, her surviving pride, and male lion Hasani, are ambassadors for their wild counterparts in Africa and serve to educate guests about the work being done to help save this vulnerable species, the zoo notes.

Her death is the first lion loss at the zoo since 2016, when Jonathan, the proud, 18-year-old male lion and alpha of the zoo’s lion pride, passed away.

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”