Beloved Jaguar Dies at the St. Louis Zoo

The St. Louis Zoo has just shared another sad announcement. A beloved jaguar who has been at the zoo for more than a decade has passed.

The St. Louis Zoo shared this unfortunate news literally just minutes ago. It involves their 17-year-old jaguar named Jared

In case you can't read their message on your device, here's the backstory of what the St. Louis Zoo says happened to Jared:

"In late May, Jared’s care team noticed a decline in his appetite. Staff took immediate action to adjust Jared’s diet and hydration plan, but his appetite did not improve. An exam by the Zoo’s Animal Health Team ultimately revealed that Jared was in renal (kidney) failure — a common disease for older cats in the wild and in human care. After careful assessment of his health and quality of life, the decision was made to humanely euthanize Jared on Friday afternoon, June 5. At 17 years old, Jared had surpassed the average life span for jaguars in the wild (10-15 years)."

You can read their full message here.

The Big Cat Country part of the St. Louis Zoo has always been my family's favorite. My wife and kids love the tigers, but we always managed to hang out near where the jaguars and leopards are, too. Sad to hear that one of these big cats has passed. This is the second loss of an animal shared by the St. Louis Zoo this week as they had to euthanize one of their orangutans recently, too.