Prosperity the Lion –
We’re very sad to report that after extended age-related health issues, 22-year-old white lion Prosperity was humanely euthanized earlier today, January 6, 2020. The median life expectancy for this species is 16 years. Her longevity, and that of her 18-year-old daughter Gracious, can be attributed to the special geriatric enrichment, diet, and TLC that she has received from her care team. Some of them have cared for her since she was brought to the Zoo in 1998 by the famous Siegfried and Roy, and this loss is especially hard for them. After monitoring her quality of life for several months and observing a decrease in mobility, they conferred with the vet staff and made the difficult decision to euthanize. Vets and the care team will be monitoring Gracious closely and giving her extra care and attention to help her adapt to life without mom. Since she is also considered geriatric, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums does not recommend moving her to another facility to live with other lions. Please keep Gracious and the Zoo’s animal team in your thoughts. Link to tribute…
http://blog.cincinnatizoo.org/2020/01/06/prosperity/
Walter the Warthog –
We’re very sorry to report that Walter the warthog passed away December 28, 2019. Walter was very popular with guests and beloved by Zoo employees. Many of you got to interact with Walter when he was a young ambassador and was small enough to participate in the wild encounters program. He outgrew that role but continued to enjoy attention from visitors and responded enthusiastically when people called him by name when they saw him running around his home in our African Savannah. He was behaving normally until yesterday when he didn’t eat all of his food. Since that’s quite unusual for Walter, vets examined him and found an extremely enlarged bladder that was most likely caused by a blocked urethra. They will perform a necropsy to learn more. Sadly, since he showed no signs of discomfort, there was no way to identify the problem before it was too late.