The Reid Park Zoo said goodbye to two of its animals in January, with the losses of 20-year-old jaguar, Nikita, and Lily, an 18-year-old white-handed gibbon, officials said Tuesday.
Nikita, who was one of the oldest jaguars in the U.S., was euthanized Jan. 12 due to age-related health issues, according to a post on the zoo's blog.
Nikita had been treated for age-related issues for the past five years, and in addition to being a cancer survivor, the jaguar recently received three blood transfusions to treat chronic age-related concerns. In the days leading up to her death, staff noticed that she suddenly had trouble moving around and it was determined that her chronic spinal disease had gotten much worse, the blog said.
The median life expectancy for jaguars is 12 to 15 years.
Lily and her parents were transferred to the new gibbon habitat at the end of December, after which zoo staff noticed that she was lethargic and wasn't eating much food. She was returned to her old habitat for several days to see if she would improve before being moved into the zoo's health center for hands-on care. Lily passed away on Jan. 14, in the company of veterinarians and curatorial staff, the blog post said.
Lily's parents, 43-year-old male, Billy, and Moms, a 47-year -old female, are two of the oldest gibbons living in a North American zoo, and the only remaining gibbons at Reid Park.
