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Wellington Zoo deeply saddened by passing of Cheetah

Media release
2 September 2013


Wellington Zoo deeply saddened by passing of Cheetah

Wellington Zoo staff have suffered another blow today with the passing of Delta, one of the Zoo’s two male Cheetah.

Delta, who was 9 years old, arrived at Wellington Zoo with his brother, Charlie, in 2005. He was born at De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre and hand reared at Cheetah Outreach in Capetown, South Africa.

”Delta suffered from kidney failure, which is not uncommon in big cats. He has been treated for kidney disease for some time but his condition has deteriorated and we made the decision to euthanize him this afternoon,” said Life Sciences Manager Dave French.

”This is a huge blow to us, following on from the loss of Cantik the Sumatran Tiger last week, but we understand that this is the nature of caring for animals.”

”Delta has been a great ambassador for Wellington Zoo with thousands of Zoo visitors meeting him as part of our Close Encounters programme. People who have met him up close, felt his tail and made him purr will never forget their time with this special cat.”

”Our Close Encounters encourage the community to learn more about Cheetah and why they’re endangered. 10% of the proceeds of each Close Encounter support conservation projects such as Cheetah Outreach, an education and community-based programme created to raise awareness of Cheetah. We sponsor a programme with Cheetah Outreach where specially trained Anatolian Shepherd dogs guard stock from Cheetah in the wild to reduce human animal conflict.”

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About Wellington Zoo
Wellington Zoo is New Zealand's first Zoo, established in 1906, and is Wellington’s oldest conservation organisation. Home to over 500 native and exotic animals, Wellington Zoo became a charitable trust in 2003.

Wellington Zoo became the world’s first carboNZero certified zoo in May 2013.

Wellington Zoo is an accredited member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia and a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.


ENDS

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