The City of Great Bend Wednesday afternoon announced the death of one of new lions at Brit Spaugh Zoo, 1-year-old Sakima. The lioness was recently acquired, along with her brother, from a Pennsylvania zoo.
According to a statement from the city, Sakima was spayed, a minor surgical operation, by the zoo veterinarian Wednesday. After the procedure Sakima regained consciousness normally and appeared to be doing well. 
However, she suddenly died. A necropsy was performed and several abnormalities, unrelated to the surgical procedure, were found, the statement said . 
Tissue samples were secured and have been forwarded to Kansas State University for analysis. As with all of the zoo animals, the surviving lion will be closely monitored for any problems.