Snow leopard Irina put down at Marwell Zoo after health deteriorates

Staff at a Hampshire zoo are mourning the death of a 16-year-old snow leopard which had to be put down after its health deteriorated with old age.

The decision was taken at Marwell Zoo, near Winchester , to euthanise the elderly female called Irina which had been on a geriatric care plan.

A zoo spokeswoman said: “This is a very sad time for everyone at Marwell, particularly so soon after the death of Bagai, our male Amur tiger, and Makeda the female giraffe.”

Laura Read, chief executive of Marwell Wildlife, said: “We do have, within a large variety of species, some aged animals at Marwell and our teams work really hard to make sure they have the best care into their senior years and beyond.

“Unfortunately, as a result, we’ve lost some notable and well-loved animals recently.

She was incredibly strong-willed and knew exactly what she wanted. She was very affectionate and loved sitting up high watching the world go by. She will be sorely missed by her whole team

“I’m sure people will appreciate this is a difficult time for everyone at the zoo, especially our animal and veterinary teams who work tirelessly to ensure our animals have the very best welfare possible.”

Irina arrived at Marwell Zoo in January 2010 at the age of two and spent most of its life alongside former mate Indeever.

Irina raised four healthy cubs – Kamala and Kadhir in 2011 and Animesh and Ajendra in 2013 – and was also a grandmother to 15 cubs and a great-grandmother to two.

The zoo spokeswoman said: “Irina played an important role in the conservation of snow leopards, which are listed as vulnerable on the International Union of Conservation’s (IUCN) red list.”

Carrie Arnold, carnivores team leader, said: “Irina was a very playful snow leopard, always stalking her keepers and playing ‘hide and seek’ with us.

“She was incredibly strong-willed and knew exactly what she wanted. She was very affectionate and loved sitting up high watching the world go by.

“She will be sorely missed by her whole team.”

Following Irina’s death, Warjun, the young male who arrived at the zoo last year, will have access to the whole snow leopard habitat including the newly-opened extension.

Marwell is now putting plans in place, along with the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP), to bring a young female to the zoo to be a companion for Warjun.