• About BCR
  • News
  • News @ BCR
  • Rescues
  • Issues
  • Cat Laws
Saturday, May 21, 2022
  • Login
  • Register
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
No Result
View All Result
Home News World

Southern California zoo euthanizes cheetah

Carole by BCR
December 29, 2006
in News World
0 0
0
0
SHARES
21
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

Mariecar Mendoza
The Desert Sun
December 28, 2006

The Living Desert zoo in Palm Desert celebrated the holidays two members short this year.

A 12-year-old cheetah and an 8-year-old ankole cow died last week of health complications that led the zoo’s medical staff to euthanize the animals, Dr. Kevin Leiske of The Living Desert said.

Elwood the cheetah was put down Dec. 17 after suffering from renal failure, Leiske said. Four days later, the ankole, named Aretha, was euthanized due to complications with her hind legs that kept her immobile for several days.

The Living Desert now has three cheetahs, two of which are Elwood’s siblings, and three bulls, Aretha’s mate and two sons, Marcia Fisher, director of marketing and public relations said.

“They’ve been sick for a while,” Fisher said. “We knew something was going to happen, so they were taken off exhibit and kept comfortable.”

Fisher said the animals at The Living Desert are checked and monitored daily by zoo keepers as well as given an annual physical exam.

On Nov. 2, the zoo’s medical staff discovered Elwood was suffering from kidney failure.

“We began treatment, but when his quality of life was deteriorating, we decided to euthanize him,” Leiske said.

Leiske added that at Elwood’s age, his illness didn’t come as much of a surprise.

Aretha’s condition, however, was a little more alarming.

Leiske said she started showing signs of weakness in her hind limbs in early December. Though she had a stint of improvement, by mid-December her condition had waned.

“She couldn’t get on her hind legs, and when you’re a large animal, you can’t be sitting for a long period of time because it’ll cause other complications,” Leiske said.

Zoo officials are investigating the cause of Aretha’s death because initially they could not pinpoint any cause or trauma to indicate why she had the weakness, Leiske said.

An exam of the body is being conducted at the state Veterinary Diagnostics Lab in San Bernardino to determine the cause of death.

“We’re looking for a specific cause because she wasn’t that old,” he said.

He added that the other ankoles have not shown any signs of illness, so the zoo does not suspect anything infectious.

Leiske said there have been about 20 to 30 animal deaths at the zoo this year but emphasized the numbers are skewed because of several factors such as still-births.

Fisher added that the zoo has animals that have lived there for more than 20 years.

According to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park Web site, cheetahs in zoos can live to be 17 years old but may live only eight to 10 years in the wild. Ankole cattle, on the other hand, can live to be more than 20 years old, according to the SeaWorld/Busch Gardens ANIMAL Web site.

Fisher said visitors have not noticed the change and there have not been any reports of the other animals reacting to the deaths.

Fisher said the cheetah had lived at the zoo since 1996 and the ankole cow since 1999. Before moving to the desert, Elwood lived at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose, Texas, and Aretha lived at San Diego Wild Animal Park.

STATEMENT FROM THE LIVING DESERT

“The Living Desert has one of the most state-of-the-art veterinary hospitals in the zoo community. Visitors can observe animals being examined and watch procedures such as dental cleaning, surgery and annual exams.

“As in most zoos that have been in existence for many years like The Living Desert, many of the animals in the collection become geriatric and require special medical attention. The Living Desert’s collection includes many animals that are setting longevity records for their species, e.g. the Mountain Lion Reno and the Bighorn Sheep Inca.

“The Living Desert offers expert care of its animals with a full-time staff veterinarian and veterinary technicians. Staff of The Living Desert is writing the national professional standards for animal care and wellbeing for some species of animals to be used in zoos across the country, e.g. canid and antelope standards.

“It is the belief of The Living Desert that all animals should be treated with respect and each animal should have a life of good wellbeing. Everything that the Living Desert does, we do in the best interest of the animals, both in our care and in the wild.

“The Living Desert keeps its family informed of life changing events with the animals under our care. All staff and volunteers are notified immediately when an animal death occurs. When a Living Desert ‘celebrity’ passes on, a press release is issued to our wider family in the Coachella Valley community. In the event that an animal is euthanized, animal keepers are allowed to attend. The animal keepers are very close to their charges and may be deeply affected by these natural life and death events.

“In the case of Elwood. the cheetah, his medical condition had been monitored for several weeks. As happens to many old cats, kidney failure is quite common, including domesticated cats. Eventually old animals die of some cause. When it was determined that Elwood’s kidney condition had deteriorated to a point that quality of life could not be assured, the decision was made to let him go with dignity. He was euthanized.

“Aretha, the Ankole cow, had been experiencing some health problems of an undetermined cause for a few weeks and was being closely monitored by staff. The Living Desert contacted outside veterinary experts from the San Diego Wild Animal Park to assist us in diagnosing the cause and determine the best line of treatment. After standard medical procedures such as fluid therapy and medication, and even alternative therapies such as acupuncture had failed to produce a positive change in her condition and she was no longer able to stand on her own, we could no longer assure her any quality of life. Animals of her size, over 600 pounds, cannot tolerate lying down for long periods of time and their condition will worsen under these circumstances. Therefore, the decision was made to euthanize her. After she was euthanized, she was sent to the State of California Veterinary Diagnostics Lab in San Bernardino for a necropsy to hopefully find answers as to the cause of her decline. We are involved in continuous learning to continually improve our ability to care for the animals.

“Although these two deaths happened close to one another in time, there is no possible link between them. All animals die, but no one expects it.

“The Living Desert performs all euthanasia in a humane and compassionate manner. Euthanasia is always performed by The Living Desert veterinarian or the licensed back-up veterinarian. Euthanasia is only performed using the humane techniques and procedures as outlined in 2002 Report of the American Veterinary Medical Association Panel on Euthanasia.”

http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/ 20061228/NEWS01/612280360/1006

Tags: News World
Previous Post

Texas cheetah mom accepts two rejected cubs as her own

Next Post

Mountain lion exhibit to be shown in Iowa

Carole

BCR

Big Cat Rescue is Caring for Cats and Ending the Trade

Related Posts

News World

Enrichment Program @ BIG CAT RESCUE!

May 7, 2022
72
Zanesville Massacre 18 tigers 17 lions 3 cougars gunned down
News World

Zanesville Massacre 18 tigers 17 lions 3 cougars gunned down

October 20, 2021
9k
Vanessa Hudgens Shame
Cat Laws

Cub Petting Shame

September 12, 2021
5.9k
Snow Leopard
News @ BCR

Save Snow Leopards

April 17, 2021
4.5k
Be Safe Out There!
How To Start A Sanctuary

Rules

March 31, 2020
530
Next Post

Mountain lion exhibit to be shown in Iowa

Leave a Reply

  • Default Comments (0)
  • Facebook Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Help Feed Big Cats

One of the best ways to help is through general donations that can be used however it is most needed at the time.To make a general donation just click the Donate Now button below.  This is the best way to give as it has the lowest credit card processing fees and is immediate help for the cats.

Give to Big Cat Rescue

If you prefer to donate via Pay Pal, please use this link: Pay Pal

Recent Articles

  • Film May 9, 2022
  • Enrichment Program @ BIG CAT RESCUE! May 7, 2022
  • Enrichment May 7, 2022

More From BigCatRescue

  • Big Cat Rescue is Live 24/7 on Webcams
  • Rescue Missions
  • About Big Cat Rescue
  • Big Cat Rescue News
  • Reviews
  • Our Recent Work
  • Sanctuary FAQs
  • Big Cat TV

Sanctuary Cats

  • Jaguars
  • Leopards
  • Lions
  • Tigers
  • Bobcats
  • Canada Lynx
  • Cougars
  • Ocelots
  • Savannah Cats
  • Servals

Ways to Help

  • Newsletter SignUp
  • Donate Now
  • Shop
  • Wish List
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
  • View AMP Version

Save Big Cats

Donate to Big Cat Rescue
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • About BCR
  • News @ BCR
  • Videos
  • Big Cat Facts
  • Cub Facts
  • Sanctuary Cats
  • Shop and Save Cats
  • Volunteer
  • Donate
  • Abuse Issues
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2021 BigCatRescue.Org. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist