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(FOX40.COM) — The Sacramento Zoo announced on Friday the death of Serai, a female clouded leopard who came to the region earlier this year.
• Video above: Sacramento Zoo welcomes clouded leopards to their habitat
Zoo officials said that since July, Serai had been experiencing health issues after animal care noticed her exhibiting abnormal behavior and muscle twitching that caused her balance to be off.
The vet team said they diagnosed a mass associated with Serai’s parathyroid gland that was causing the abnormal hormone function and damage to her kidneys. She received intensive and dedicated care through the collaborative efforts of the animal care, veterinary team, and specialists.
According to the Sacramento Zoo, even though the mass was successfully treated, some of Serai’s symptoms persisted after her recovery. Since the diagnosis, she had been in an off-display area away from Rajasi (male clouded leopard) to work on recovering.
On Sept 29, Serai was found with severe injury to her front leg. Officials determined that the danger could not be repaired safely and that the limb could not be saved. Due to the arboreal nature, an amputation would have gotten in the way of her lifestyle.
The zoo said with respect for Serai’s quality of life, the “difficult but compassionate decision was made to euthanize her.” She was 14 years old, which is in the later years of clouded leopard life expectancy.
“Our animal care team and vet team worked around the clock throughout Serai’s health journey, pouring an incredible amount of time, energy, and heart into her care,” authorities said. “Serai will be deeply missed by all who knew her and worked with her. Please keep her keepers and our vet team in your thoughts during this difficult time.”
In April, the Sacramento Zoo welcomed two clouded leopards named Serai and Rajasi to its community.
The pair was born in March of 2011 at the Nashville Zoo and came to the Sacramento Zoo from Miami.
“Our clouded leopards are one of the smaller cats in the world,” Tracy Romo, Zoo Education Docent, said. “What’s neat about them is that they have the longest tail and canines in proportion to their body.” She said this helps the leopards balance themselves as they spend a lot of time in trees.
One of the cool things about clouded leopards is that they have special ankle bones that allow them to rotate their ankles backwards, which allows them to climb headfirst down a tree and hang on upside-down to the underside of a branch, according to the Sacramento Zoo spokesperson, Nancy Smith-Fagan.
For more information on the Sacramento Zoo, click here.
Here are some photos of the clouded leopards provided by the Sacramento Zoo
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Adoreil Ayoubgoulan
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