Snow Leopard Cub Dies at John Ball Zoo
Incident Date:
03/28/2025
Location:
Grand Rapids, MI - USA
Facility Name:
John Ball Zoo
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Animal Death (AD)
Species:
Big Cats
Animal:
Snow Leopard
Animal disposition:
Dead
Summary:
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – A female snow leopard cub at the John Ball Zoo has died.
The death of the 9-month-old snow leopard, Mera, was announced in a statement by the John Ball Zoo Friday. The zoo said Mera was showing signs of pain and didn’t improve after medication. She had a CT scan and ultrasound to try to find the cause. Ultimately an exploratory surgery was needed to find the root cause, which led to the discovery of abnormalities in her urinary system,” the zoo wrote. “Unfortunately, it was determined this issue could not be surgically repaired, and we had to make a very difficult decision to humanely euthanize her.”
Action take by Born Free USA:
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