kazumi rodode his bicycle to ho farms to collect food for the animal. but that ended. >> translator: in march of 1945, unfortunately,y, the lion was st to death. >> reporter: kagawa ended up asking a hunting club to kill the lion. he was being kept in a wooden cage. the zoo could not afford concrete. >> translator: on n that day, i couldn't bring myself to see the lion and say good-bye. it didn't feel right. i didn't give it its final meal. then i heard the gunshots. they were loud. and carried quite a distance. i don't think i'll ever forget that sound. >> reporter: kazumi stayed away from the site, unable to face the evidence of what had happened. four months later, takamatsu was indeeded bombed. the zoo, however, was not damaged. >> translator: the cage survived the air raids. if we had known what would happen, we would have kept the lion alive. i myself could never point a gun at an animal that's full of energy and spirit. when i think of that lion, i realize the importance of peace. >> reporter: after the war, people got on with their lives. they d