India’s oldest lion in captivity died at Bhopal’s Van Vihar National Park, said park director Atul Srivastava. The 28-year-old lion was known as Ramu and died due to old age on Monday. The Van Vihar National Park now has six lions left. Dr Atul Gupta, veterinary doctor at the national park, said lions in the wild live up to 16 years as they mostly die due to injuries and territorial fights. “However, when a lion is put in captivity, they generally live long – for over 20 years,” he said. Ramu’s hind legs were paralysed about three months ago and it was being treated for it, Gupta said. The lion was rescued from Rajkamal Circus at Korba in Chhattisgarh when it was 18 years old and brought to Van Vihar, which is also an animal rescue centre here, the veterinarian added.