The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden announced the sad passing of its sweet old sea lion Duke in a press release and on social media today. The 30-year-old blind pinniped exceeded its median life expectancy, which is 23 years in the wild.
“He was special…so laid back, smart and sweet. He was a great ambassador and enjoyed interacting with visitors and his caregivers,” said his senior keeper Lisa Potter in the release. “I always knew this would be hard but still wasn’t prepared to lose him. We will miss him so much.”
Duke recently had been slowing down, his behavior had changed and his appetite had decreased. His care team had been monitoring his health and keeping him comfortable, and the zoo provides special diets, habitat modifications and specialized medical attention for its senior animals.
“Our top priority for geriatric animals is maintaining the highest quality of life until the end of life. We feel that we accomplished this with Duke, with a highly capable and passionate group of staff dedicated to giving Duke all that he needed to feel comfortable and happy while he was with us,” said Cincinnati Zoo Director Thane Maynard in the same release.
This article appears in Apr 17-24, 2019.
