Auckland Zoo's three-month-old zebra foal euthanised

Monday, 30 March 2020

Auckland Zoo's three-month-old zebra foal, who was born with mobility issues in his front and hind legs, has been euthanised.

The foal was born on Boxing Day 2019. He was the second Christmas arrival for the zoo, following a red panda cub who had arrived the week before. 

Shortly after his birth, zoo keepers observed the foal was unsteady and stiff in his legs. He was treated with medication but his condition didn't improve. 

'A full exam of the foal under anaesthetic earlier this month, including radiographs of all his joints, confirmed what Zoo vets suspected – that he had congenital conditions which would only have worsened with time,' Auckland Zoo said on social media.  

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The foal had issues with all his limbs, including a missing knee joint in one leg. 

This resulted in a build-up of fluid in the joint, which would have caused chronic pain without medication, the zoo said.

In addition, he was not growing at the normal rate keepers had expected. 

'These decisions are always really tough, especially with young animals, but as we could not resolve his issues to give him the quality of life he deserved, this was absolutely the right and kindest decision for him,' senior vet Dr An Pas said.