Wellington Zoo saddened by the loss of Cheetah

The Wellington Zoo team were saddened on Friday after the Zoo’s eldest Cheetah died. Charlie, Wellington Zoo’s 13 year old Cheetah was euthanised Friday afternoon after deteriorating health issues could no longer be managed.

“We have been monitoring Charlie’s health closely over the last few weeks, as he was going off his food periodically and showing signs of abdominal discomfort,” said Senior Veterinarian Baukje Lenting. “Charlie had regular medical examinations as he was affected by chronic pancreatitis and while we had been managing this, Charlie was showing signs that there may be something else going on internally.”

On Friday, the Animal Care and Veterinary Teams carried out an endoscopy and ultrasound on Charlie to look at his digestive system and take samples of his pancreas. During this procedure, the Veterinary Team found other health issues developing internally which would be very difficult to manage and affect Charlie’s health and well-being, especially at his age. Being a good Zoo is about ensuring our animals’ welfare needs are met and this includes maintaining their health and well-being, so this decision for Charlie was made with care and professionalism.

“Animal welfare is our top priority, and the results following Friday’s procedure showed we were no longer able to maintain Charlie’s quality of life, so the decision to euthanise him was made,” said Ms Lenting.

Charlie was born at the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre and was hand reared at Cheetah Outreach in Capetown, South Africa before arriving at Wellington Zoo with his brother Delta in 2005.

“He has been a real character and much loved by everyone at the Zoo who has cared for him,” said Jo Richardson, Animal Care Manager. “Charlie has been a great ambassador for Wellington Zoo and his species, with thousands of Zoo visitors meeting him as part of our Close Encounters programme; which raises awareness about the vulnerability of Cheetahs in the wild.”

Wellington Zoo ensures its animals are healthy and happy by using the Five Domains of Animal Welfare which assesses the animal’s physical well-being, emotional and mental state, as well as their behavioural and physiological needs.

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