Siegfried and Roy's white lion dies after medical procedure

One of Siegfried and Roy's famous white lions died at the Toledo Zoo in Ohio following a medical procedure.

The Associated Press reports that on Friday the 14-year-old lion named Legend went into cardiac and respiratory arrest after being immobilized for an hour.

In a statement, zookeepers say they noticed him limping so they sedated him to find out why. After being removed from anesthesia, the lion's heart gave out.

Legend was one of the tigers being loaned to the Ohio zoo from the Siegfried and Roy team in Las Vegas. He came to the zoo with his brother Courage in 2003.

According to the Global White Lion Protection Trust, which has been working to protect the species since 2002, less than 13 white lions are left in the wild today.

Zoo veterinarians say the procedure was necessary to improve Legend's quality of life. A necropsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.

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