The Himalayan Nature Park, Kufri, has lost one of its oldest and most popular inmates to old age. Sheru, the around 20-year-old leopard, breathed his last a couple of days ago after spending his entire life at the zoo.“He had become quite weak and spent most of his time sleeping. On Friday, he died of old age,” said Shahnawaz Bhat, Divisional Forest Officer, Wildlife Wing, Shimla.Incidentally, it was here that Sheru got a second lease of life after a forest fire in Shimla separated him from his mother and left him badly injured when he was just about a month old.“His hair and front paws were badly burnt. He was in a critical condition, but the zoo staff worked tirelessly to nurse him back to health,” said Vinita Bhardwaj, Range Forest Officer.The care he received at the zoo not only healed his injuries but also ensured that he grew up to be a strong and beautiful leopard.“He was big, extremely good-looking and very friendly. For tourists, he was the main attraction at the zoo,” Bhardwaj said. He was rescued from a forest fire in Summer Hill, Shimla, in 2007.The staff who nursed Sheru during his most vulnerable period are saddened by his death. For them, his passing has brought back memories of his arrival at the zoo.“He was smaller than even a cat when he was brought to the zoo. We thought he wouldn’t survive, but he made it,” recalled a retired Forest Department employee.He further said the staff looked after the cub day and night for six months after he arrived at the zoo.“We fed him milk from a bottle and kept him wrapped in a blanket as it gets very cold in Kufri. Once, we had to call a doctor past midnight to check on him as he didn’t look well,” the employee said.With many people looking after him day and night, Sheru grew taller and stronger than an average leopard.“His shiny coat, strong physique and good looks made him extremely popular among tourists. And he was quite friendly towards humans as he was used to their presence around him since he was a cub,” said the employee.Even though Sheru was adored by one and all, he had a soft corner for the staff who had nursed him.“Whenever any of us called out his name, he would instantly come to the edge of the cage and rub his body against it, as if he wanted us to caress him,” the employee said, his voice choking with emotion.