Three animals have died at the zoo this week. The zoo has been so tough lately losing so many of its old animals.
-Ariranha, a female giant river otter, was euthanized a few days to a week ago due to cancer after months of treatment. She had cancer surgery, so she was more tired than usual in her last months. There was a sign saying that otters were under vet care, and now it has been removed.
-Moira Abby, the Mhorr gazelle, passed away a few days ago. She was the last of her species in North America and at 14 years old, was believed to be the oldest of her species in the world although we don’t exactly know. Although she was on geriatric care for a long time, including arthritis pain medications daily, and going inside earlier than the other animals in African Plains, she just died of natural causes.
-Bardot, the blue-eyed black lemur, passed away yesterday at 30 years old, and was the oldest in the world. She had been pretty healthy throughout her long life but recently keepers noticed she was having difficulty swallowing her food and she had repeated episodes of choking, so they euthanized her. She was the last of her species at the zoo, since her longtime mate, Stewart, died earlier this year. They are now reunited.
Additional news, the squirrel monkeys have moved to a new zoo.