Columbus Zoo mourns death of beloved wolverine Zola

POWELL, Ohio (WCMH) — The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium announced the death of a “beloved” 11-year-old wolverine.

The zoo shared the sad news in a social media post on Tuesday. According to the post caption, the female weasel named “Zola” previously lived at the Minnesota Zoo before coming to Columbus just this year. Zola was born in Sweden.

“She joined our Columbus Zoo family with the hope of helping to support the wolverine population within zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, particularly alongside male wolverine, Alvar,” the zoo wrote.

Touching details of Zola’s temperament and her relationship with Alvar were also revealed in the memorial.

“From the moment she arrived, Zola captured our hearts with her spunky and confident personality,” the zoo noted. “She was the perfect blend of curiosity and confidence, never shy to make her presence known, and let Alvar know who was truly in charge. In the few short months she was here, the Animal Care staff saw Alvar and Zola’s bond grow and they were great companions up until the time she passed.”

Although the zoo did not give the specific date Zola died, stating it was “recently,” it did discuss the animal’s health challenges and the reason behind her death.

“Recently, the Animal Care teams noticed that Zola was not her usual self, and the Conservation Medicine team conducted a thorough examination on her to understand what was happening,” the zoo said. “In doing so, they discovered that she had widespread inoperable lymphoma throughout her abdomen and, with her health and wellbeing in mind, made the difficult decision for humane euthanasia.”

The zoo stated that the frequently misunderstood species is often seen as aggressive. However, they are actually “secretive and elusive,” inhabiting areas that are not easily accessible which makes studying them hard. The zoo pointed to habitat loss and climate change for wolverines in the United States being listed as a “threatened species.”

“Zola’s presence here was a testament to the importance of conservation efforts for these incredible animals,” the zoo wrote.”Zola’s time with us was short, but the impact she made will be remembered always.”

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