"She will be sorely missed": Marwell Zoo announces death of beloved and playful snow leopard
The team at Marwell Zoo have announced the sad death of a ‘playful’ snow leopard who has been at the zoo since she was two.
Irina arrived at Marwell Zoo on January, 18, 2010 at the age of two-years-old and she turned 16 on May, 23 this year. She had been on a geriatric care plan for some time but sadly her symptoms worsened and the animal and veterinary team at the zoo had to make the difficult decision to euthanase her.
Having spent most of her life alongside former mate Indeever, Irina raised four healthy cubs - Kamala and Kadhir in 2011 and Animesh and Ajendra in 2013.
It is an extremely sad and difficult time for the zoo, particularly so soon after the death of Bagai, our male Amur tiger and Makeda the female giraffe.
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Laura Read, chief executive of Marwell Wildlife, said: “We do have, within a large variety of species, some aged animals at Marwell and our teams work really hard to make sure they have the best care into their senior years and beyond.
“Unfortunately, as a result, we’ve lost some notable and well-loved animals recently. I’m sure people will appreciate, this is a difficult time for everyone at the zoo, especially our animal and veterinary teams who work tirelessly to ensure our animals have the very best welfare possible.”
Irina played an important role in the conservation of snow leopards, which are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union of Conservation’s (IUCN) Red List. As well as raising cubs of her own, Irina was a grandmother 15 times over and a great grandmother twice so her legacy will live on through the contribution she has made to the survival of her species.
Irina played an important role in the conservation of snow leopards, which are listed as Vulnerable on the International Union of Conservation’s (IUCN) Red List.
As well as raising cubs of her own, Irina was a grandmother 15 times over and a great grandmother twice so her legacy will live on through the contribution she has made to the survival of her species.
Carrie Arnold, carnivores team leader, said: “Irina was a very playful snow leopard, always stalking her keepers and playing 'hide and seek' with us.
“She was incredibly strong willed and knew exactly what she wanted. She was a very affectionate and loved sitting up high watching the world go by.
“She will be sorely missed by her whole team.”
Following Irina’s death Warjun, the young male who arrived at the zoo last year, will have access to the whole snow leopard habitat including the newly opened extension.
Marwell has been putting plans in place, along with the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), to bring a young female to the zoo in due course as a companion for Warjun and with a view to continuing our long history working with the breeding programme for this important species.