Potter Park Zoo cat dies after eating rubber ball
Midday update
By T.M. Shultz
Lansing State Journal
An Asian fishing cat at Potter Park zoo has died from internal injuries suffered after eating a rubber ball that somehow got into her cage, zoo officials announced today.
Fishing cats are threatened in the wild and are native to southwest India, Sri Lanka, countries of the southern Himalayas and Southeast Asia.
The fishing cat lives in watery areas and fish make up the bulk of their diet, according to several Web sites. Their average life-span is 12 years.
Advertisement
Zookeepers realized their fishing cat – which was almost seven years old – was in trouble when she started losing weight, according to a zoo press release.
During surgery, veterinarians removed more than 25 pieces of ball from her stomach. She developed an intestinal problem two weeks later and had more surgery, but could not survive the trauma to her gastrointestinal tract.
For the cats,
Carole Baskin, CEO of Big Cat Rescue
an Educational Sanctuary home
to more than 150 big cats
12802 Easy Street Tampa, FL 33625
813.920.4130 fax 885.4457 cell 493.4564
http://www.BigCatRescue.orgMakeADifference@BigCatRescue.org
Meet our recent mountain lion cub rescues:
