Calgary Zoo Calgary Zoo News 2023

Status
Not open for further replies.
Smaggledagle

Smaggledagle

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
On January 16th, the zoo announced that a (1.0) red panda named Dusk passed away at the age of 18.5 years old due to progressive heart disease and advanced kidney disease coupled with progressive degenerative arthritis and chronic dental disease.

登录 Facebook
 
On January 30th, the zoo announced that their (1.0) Bactrian camel named Ollie is back on exhibit after staying off exhibit at the Wildlife Conservation Center for treatment of skin lesions.

登录 Facebook
 
14 year old gorilla, “Yewande”, is pregnant and due in May! This will be her second infant with male, “Jasiri”, and hopefully her first surviving infant.

The Calgary Zoo on Instagram: "Guess who's going to be a big (half) sister? That’s right! Our littlest western lowland gorilla, ‘Eyare’, may soon be giving up her title as the youngest member of the troop. ‘Yewande’, our beloved 14-year-old western lowland gorilla, is expecting! This exciting news means that 10-month-old Eyare may soon be a big (half) sister and the eldest troop member, ‘Zuri’ (25 years old), will be a grandmother! Yewande’s due date is expected in late Spring so the official “baby watch” will commence in May until the infant is born. Stay tuned to our social channels for regular updates on Yewande, the troop and everything we’re doing to plan for another (gorilla) bundle of joy! LINK IN BIO to read more. #WICZGorillaBaby #YourZooYYC"
Click to expand...
 
On March 9th, the zoo announced they moved a (0.1) Hartmann's mountain zebra named Leba to the Savanna Yard and trade places with another (0.1) named Senha to the Archibald Biodiversity Center.

The Calgary Zoo
 
African spoonbill, Humphrey, passed away from old age at 23 years old.

Also passing this month was outreach tegu, Ginny. She suffered through gastrointestinal and reproductive issues from the time she arrived at the zoo as a surrendered pet and ultimately she had an inoperable mass on her ovaries and had to be put down given her very poor prognosis.
 
On May 15th, the institute announced that (2.0) Vancouver Island marmots named Hector and Ronaldo passed away at ages 6 (heart failure and testicular cancer) and 8 (heart disease) respectively.

Wilder Institute
 
Copied from The Calgary Zoo Facebook Page today 5/19/2023 -
It is with truly heavy hearts that we share that our Masai giraffe, ‘Emara’, was found deceased in the African Savannah yard early this morning.
Having just celebrated her 12th birthday yesterday, Emara joined the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo family in 2016 and has been a treasured member of our tower since then. Losing any of the animals we love and care for is heartbreaking but it’s especially so when the passing is unexpected. Our Veterinary team won’t know her cause of death firmly until a necropsy is completed, and we’ll share more information when we know it.
Our Animal Care, Health & Welfare Team will be carefully monitoring ‘Nabo’ and ‘Moshi’ following the loss of their habitat mate. The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s giraffe tower is adored by staff, volunteers, members, donors, visitors and our online community from around the world. We know this loss will be felt by many, especially Emara’s dedicated caregivers. Please keep them in your thoughts on this very difficult day.
 
Well that sucks for a number of reasons. First its never good for staff to just find an animal dead. Thats unpleasant and shocking for them. Thoughts are first and foremost with them. Its different when they are sick beforehand or old. Not really a surprise then. Second there is the risk that something could happen to Nabo and Moshi if it was something contagious. Moshi will never be bred so not a horrible loss there but Nabo's genetics are so valuable it would be a tragic loss to the population. Hopefully it was an accident or something that cant hurt the others. Third her death could delay or even stop the swap of Nabo and Toronto's Kiko. If there is any health risk Toronto wont send Kiko and definitely wouldnt want Nabo risking the most genetically valuable herd in North America. Really hoping it was an accident and the transfer wont need to be delayed at all.
 
Ah man, absolutely terrible news :(

This is also a bad blow to the genetics of the North American population overall, as Emara was one of the most genetically valuable females in the SSP. I’m truly crossing my fingers that it was some unfortunate act that’s not contagious or a risk to the other giraffes, for the above reasons as mentioned by TZfan.
 
@Hyak_II I dont think it was a blow to the genetics even though she was high ranking. The real blow to the population had already come in her inability to produce a healthy calf despite several attempts. I dont think even if she had lived another 10 years she would have produced 1 healthy surviving calf. Her life was far from a normal giraffes life. Thankfully she has siblings who are breeding or have bred. Her genetics will live on even though its not through her offspring.
 
I thought the same things. I am very, very sad for the loss to the giraffe community and for the Zoo and staff. But also, concerned for the planned transfer of males from zoo to zoo. I wonder how long a necropsy and results will take?
 
Depends on what they find with just the necropsy. If they found she broke her neck for example then its fairly cut and dry. No need to really worry about the other testing as much. If its not clear from the necropsy itself it will go to more advanced things like tissue testing and that can take weeks or a couple of months depending. Really depends on what caused the death and how much work it takes to discover that cause. They start simple and go further if needed. They may never find an exact cause as well. Sometimes there is just no answer.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top