Captive animal deaths 2023

List of animals that are known to have died in captivity in 2023

This is a list of animals that have died in captivity in 2023. Many more animal deaths occur in captivity far exceeding the number of reported cases. Typically, only the death of elderly animals or well known animals gains attention leaving the majority of deaths unreported. Numerous animals are euthanized at a young age due to being deemed surplus or excess to the zoo's needs.

Name	Species ^{[Notes 1]}	Date of death	Location of death	Country	Reported cause of death	Reported age at death	Refs
Duchess	Dolphin	Jan	Mirage Dolphin Habitat	USA		48	^[1]
Narnia Нарния	Orca	Jan	Mosvkarium	Russia	Intestinal volvulus	16 ~
Studebaker	Banteng cow	Jan	Lee Richardson Zoo	USA			^[2]
Unknown	Asian elephant	Jan	Kaebai Meechai Elephant Camp	Thailand	Died after eating bananas treated with ethylene gas	20	^[3]
Lalitha	Asian elephant	Jan	Muthumariamman Temple	India	While the elephant was unloaded from a vehicle, it fell down and sustained injuries.	60	^[4]
Savannah	Bengal tiger	Jan	Texas Zoo	USA	Euthanized		^[5]
Daisy	Orangutan	Jan 2	Sedgwick County Zoo	USA	Euthanized	41
Bafia	Western Lowland gorilla	Jan 6	Chessington Zoo	UK	Euthanized	54	^[6]
Augustus	Rhinoceros	Jan 8	Rolling Hills Zoo	USA	Euthanized after exhibiting neurological-type symptoms	2
Draco	Komodo dragon	Jan 8	Akron Zoo	USA	Egg yolk coelomitis	22
Natalie	Southern white rhinoceros	Jan 10	North Carolina Zoo	USA	Euthanized	30	^[7]
Unnamed	Tamandua	Jan 10	Cincinnati Zoo	USA		0	^[8]
Cinnamon	Coppery titi monkey	Jan 13 ~	Denver Zoo	USA	Euthanized	31
Berlin	Polar bear	Jan 14 ~	Kansas City Zoo	USA	Euthanized	33	^[9]
Oscar	Black-footed cat	Jan 14 ~	John Ball Zoo	USA	Euthanized	16
Unnamed	Asian elephant	Jan 15	Zurich Zoo	Germany	Undeveloped / weakness	0	^[10] ^[11]
Jewel	Asian elephant	Jan 15	Los Angeles Zoo	USA	Euthanized due to declining health	61
Dusk	Red panda	Jan 16 ~	Calgary Zoo	USA	Euthanized after a diagnosis that included progressive heart disease coupled with advanced kidney disease	18
Winnie	Grizzly bear	Jan 16	Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo	USA	Gastric torsion	10
Cuban	Crocodile	Jan 18 ~	National Zoological Gardens	Sri Lanka	Old age and animal-related diseases or death due to human negligence	Unknown	^[12]
Matilda	Moose	Jan 19	NEW Zoo	USA	Euthanized	12	^[13]
Tahoe	Harris hawk	Jan 20 ~	Zoo Atlanta	USA	Got into a fight with a wild animal in his secure outdoor mew and died from his injuries.		^[14]
Hemingway	Dolphin	Jan 23	Clearwater Marine Aquarium	USA	Suspected gastrointestinal condition	32 ~
Valentine	Wolverine	Jan 24 ~	Zoo New York	USA	Euthanized	16
Pin	Lappet-faced vulture	Jan 24 ~	Dallas Zoo	USA	"an unusual wound and injuries, which pointed to this not being a natural death"		^[15]
Ceiba	Jaguar	Jan 24 ~	Saint Louis Zoo	USA	Euthanized	20	^[16]
Amalee	Asian elephant	Jan 27	Zoo Praha	Czech Republic	Elephant endotheliotropic herpes	2
Revital	Orangutan	Jan 31	Zoo Basel	Switzerland		22
LeLe	Giant panda	Feb 1	Memphis Zoo	USA	Heart disease	24	^[17]
Magadh	White tiger	Feb 1	Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park (Patna zoo)	India	Blood protozoan disease	'Cub'	^[18]
Johari	Eastern black rhinoceros	Feb 4 ~	Little Rock Zoo	USA	Possible gastrointestinal symptoms	27
Stella	Jaguar	Feb 5	Milwaukee County Zoo	USA	Age-related health conditions that worsened	19	^[19]
Sammy	Dromedary camel	Feb 7	Brevard Zoo	USA		27
Rajah	Bengal tiger	Feb 9	Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo	USA	Euthanized	18	^[20]
Dodo	Asian elephant	Feb 9 ~	Patara Elephant Farm	Thailand		Unknown
Gracie	Moon bear	Feb 10 ~	Roger Williams Park Zoo	USA	Euthanized	13
Ben	Bornean orangutan	Feb 12	Brookfield Zoo	USA	Euthanized	44
Parker	Masai giraffe	Feb 13 ~	Seneca Park Zoo	USA	Found unresponsive after getting stuck in the support structure of a giraffe enclosure gate and breaking his neck	6
Donna	Black bear	Feb 13	Cameron Park Zoo	USA	Euthanized		^[21]
Hermie	American bison	Feb 13	Columbus Zoo and Aquarium	USA	Euthanized after he did not successfully recover from anesthesia	12
Hima	Snow Leopard	Feb 14	Miller Park Zoo	USA	Renal disease	13	^[22]
Michael	Masai giraffe	Feb 15	Santa Barbara Zoo	USA	Euthanized	15
Big Mama	Boa constrictor	Feb 15	Lee Richardson Zoo	USA		33
Sukari	Lion	Feb 23	San Francisco Zoo	USA	Splenic lymphoma	20
Babli	Zebra	Feb 23	Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park (Patna zoo)	India	Cardiac arrest	6	^[18]
Mei Mei	Red panda	Feb 28	Marwell Zoo	UK	Euthanized	9
Bud	Cheetah	Mar 2 ~	Maryland Zoo	USA	Euthanized	8
Unknown	Golden tabby tiger	Mar 2	Karachi zoo	Pakistan	Investigation being conducted^[23] "had been ill for a long time and apparently failed to receive proper care"	13
Korol	Amur tiger	Mar 3	Alaska Zoo	USA	"Complications from old age"	19	^[24]
Sandrine	Asian elephant	Mar 3	Givskud Zoo	Denmark	Euthanized - "disease-related"	57	^[25]
Medu	Asian elephant	Mar 3	Givskud Zoo	Denmark	Euthanized - "because she should not be alone in the facility" [after Sandrine was euthanized - see above]	54	^[25]
Gordy	Groundhog	Mar 3	Milwaukee County Zoo	USA	Euthanized		^[8]
Sedge	River otter	Mar 4	Beardsley Zoo	USA	"Sedge's death was unexpected as he was recently under medical care for an infection"		^[26]
Rex	Rough-toothed dolphin	Mar 6	Clearwater Marine Aquarium	USA	Rex stopped eating three days before he died - necropsy pending	8	^[27]
Glinda	Amur tiger	Mar 7	Potawatomi Zoo	USA	Did not successfully recover from anesthesia		^[28]
Kipele	Giraffe	Mar 8	Denver Zoo	USA	Euthanized	29
Daisy	Giraffe	Mar 9	St. Paul’s Como Park Zoo	USA	Euthanized	23
Marius	Polar bear	Mar 9	Copenhagen Zoo	Denmark	Electrocuted	"young"	^[29]
Glinda	Amur tiger	Mar 7 ~	Potawatomi Zoo	USA	Did not successfully recover from anesthesia		^[30]
Kiska	Orca	Mar 10	Marineland	Canada	Bacterial infection	49 ~	^[31]
Vicky	Zebra	Mar 11	Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park (Patna zoo)	India		4	^[18]
Maya	Red panda	Mar 13	Jardin des Plantes Zoo	France	Euthanized	18	^[8]
Blizzard	Artic fox	Mar 17	Wildwood Zoo	USA		10	^[32]
Sota	Giraffe	Mar 17	Reid Park Zoo	USA	Euthanized		^[33]
Yaqi	Asian elephant	Mar 18	Jinan Zoo	China	Multiple organ failure	3	^[34]
Mrs. B	Bald eagle	Mar 20	Great Bend-Brit Spaugh Zoo	USA	Euthanized	49 ~	^[35]
Bahatika	Giraffe	Mar 22	Milwaukee County Zoo	USA		17
Mary Ann	American bison	Mar 23	Oklahoma City Zoo	USA	Euthanized	22	^[36]
Unnamed	Southern white rhino	Mar 25	Werribee Zoo	Australia	Heart attack	5 days	^[37]
Lisa	African elephant	Mar 26	Oakland Zoo	USA	Euthanized	46	^[38]
Willow	Giraffe	Mar 28	Maryland Zoo	USA	Gastrointestinal issue	6	^[39]
Loki	Wolf	Mar 28	Camperdown Wildlife Centre	UK	Euthanized after an operation		^[40]
?	Wolf	Mar 28	Camperdown Wildlife Centre	UK	Euthanized because Loki (see above) was euthanized
?	Wolf	Mar 28	Camperdown Wildlife Centre	UK	Euthanized because Loki (see above) was euthanized
?	Wolf	Mar 28	Camperdown Wildlife Centre	UK	Euthanized because Loki (see above) was euthanized
Jontu	Rhino	Mar 28	Henry Doorly Zoo	USA	Euthanized	15
Willow	Giraffe	Mar 29	Maryland Zoo	USA		6	^[41]
Mandla	Black leopard	Mar 30	Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary (Zoo)	New Zealand	Euthanized	20	^[42]
Rahna	Giraffe	Mar 30	Milwaukee County Zoo	USA	Euthanized	30
Huey	Californian sea lion	Apr 4	Audubon Zoo	USA	Renal failure
Takoda	Black bear	Apr 7	Oregon Zoo	USA	Went into cardiac arrest while under anesthesia		^[43]
Nona	Grizzly bear	Apr 13	Little Rock Zoo	USA	Euthanized - dental disease	33	^[44]
Lin Hui	Giant panda	Apr 19	Chiang Mai Zoo	Thailand	Blood clots	21	^[45]
Noor Jehan	Asian elephant	Apr 22	Karachi Zoo	Pakistan			^[46]
Lydia	Zebra	Apr 25	Zoo Knoxville	USA	Ran into fence	7	^[47]
Hugh	Manatee	Apr 29	Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium	USA			^[48]
Mary	Asian elephant	May 2	San Diego Zoo	USA	Euthanized	59	^[49]
Kipling	Sumatran tiger	May 3	Hattiesburg Zoo	USA			^[50]
Wilma	Bison	May 3	Buffalo Zoo	USA	Euthanized		^[51]
Zuri	Lion	May 4	Topeka Zoo	USA		19	^[52]
Kodiak	Beluga whale	May 4 ~	Marineland	Canada			^[53]
Sonar	Bottlenose dolphin	May 4 ~	Marineland	Canada			^[53]
Naka	Amur tiger	May 5 ~	Racine Zoo	USA			^[54]
Ajabu	African elephant	May 9	Dallas Zoo	USA	Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus	7	^[55]
Malaika	African elephant	May 13	Cheyenne Mountain Zoo	USA	Euthanized	37	^[56]
Rani	Bengal tiger	May 15	Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo	USA	Euthanized	19
Emara	Giraffe	May 19	Calgary Zoo	USA	Found dead	12	^[57]
Edgar	Eastern diamondback rattlesnake (albino)	May 22	Central Florida Zoo	USA		21	^[58]
Stuart	Zebra	May 24	Milwaukee County Zoo	USA	Ran into fence	5	^[59]
Milo	Lion	May 25	Billabong Zoo	Australia	Cardiac arrest	7	^[60]
Koluk	Polar bear	May 26	Albuquerque BioPark	USA	Euthanized	26	^[61]
Maiko	Bonobo	May 30	Columbus Zoo	USA	Euthanized	38	^[62]
Gemstone	Black rhino	May 30	Baton Rouge Zoo	USA			^[63]
Pudgie	Hippopotamus	May 31	Sedgwick County. Zoo	USA		50	^[64]
Dugan	White rhinoceros	Jun 1	Disney’s Animal Kingdom	USA		28
Kyra	Asiatic lion	Jun 2	Dudley Zoo	UK	Euthanized	17	^[65]
?	Meerkat	Jun 5	Metro Richmond Zoo	USA	Died in a fire		^[66]
Gemstone	Black rhinoceros	Jun 6	Baton Rouge Zoo	USA		34	^[67]
Olivia	Guanaco	Jun 6	Louisville Zoo	USA	Euthanized		^[68]
Lula, Nkosi, Nya, Kgala, and Ari	Meerkats	Jun 14	Philadelphia Zoo	USA	Poisoning suspected to be linked to dye at Zoo		^[69]
Apollo	Bottlenose dolphin	Jun 14	Clearwater Marine Aquarium	USA		4	^[70]
Terri	Addax	Jun 16	Smithsonian’s National Zoo	USA	Cervical fracture	2	^[71]
Shiloh	Red Wolf	Jun 17	Salisbury Zoo	USA	Euthanized	11	^[72]
Kamau	African lion	Jun 17	Sacramento Zoo	USA		16	^[73]
E.T.	African penguin	Jun 17	Richmond Zoo	USA		43	^[74]
Radza Junior	Asian elephant	Jun 20	Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen	Netherlands	Died during anesthesia		^[75]
Nord	Orca	Jun 21	Moskvarium	Russia	Acute peptic ulcer of the third part of the stomach	16	^[76]
Janaki	Tiger	Jun 24	Vizag Zoo	India		22	^[77]
Armani	Giraffe	Jun 28	Perth Zoo	Australia		20	^[78]
Bibi	Eastern Black Rhinoceros	Jun 29	Sedgwick County Zoo	USA	Euthanised - colic	25	^[79]
Fitz	Elephant	Jul 1	Louisville Zoo	USA	Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus	3	^[80]
Dafina	Chimpanzee	Jul 6	Kansas City Zoo	USA		24
Twiga	Maasai giraffe	Jul 8	Ellen Trout Zoo	USA		31	^[81]
Prithvi	Lion	Jul 8	Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden	India	Cardio respiratory failure		^[82]
Hudo	Komodo dragon	Jul 12	Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden	USA		20
Dazzle	Squirrel monkey	Jul 13	Reid Park Zoo	USA	Died after a cesarean section
Matilda	Sloth	Jul 14	Cape May County Park and Zoo	USA	Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus		^[83]
Willy	Elephant	Jul 19	Cleveland Metroparks Zoo	USA	Euthanised	44
Penelope	Masai giraffe	Jul 19	Cameron Park Zoo	USA		10	^[84]
Budak Puntja	Malayan tapir	Jul 19	Taipei Zoo	Taiwan	Undetermined	7	^[85]
Rocky	Mountain goat	Jul 22	Denver Zoo	USA		2 months	^[86]
Zuri (Mother was Penelope see above)	Masai giraffe	Jul 23	Cameron Park Zoo	USA		'Baby'	^[87]

External links

Killing animals at the zoo The New Yorker
How many healthy animals do zoos put down? BBC
Killing Healthy Animals in Zoos: "Zoothanasia" is a Reality Psychology Today
Marius was not a one off: European zoos 'routinely' kill up to 5,000 healthy animals The Express

Notes

↑ Exact species not always disclosed.

References

[1] Exact species not always disclosed.

[2] Dolphin Duchess dies at The Mirage in Las Vegas

[3] ttps://www.gctelegram.com/2023/01/19/banteng-cow-dies-at-zoo/

[4] Elephant in Thailand dies after tourists feed it wrong food

[5] ttps://archive.ph/qEfoI

[6] Texas zoo gets black jaguar to replace Bengal tiger euthanized in January

[7] ttps://archive.ph/20ePL

[8] ttps://archive.ph/DeqCM

[:3-9] 8.0 ^8.1 ^8.2 Facebook

[10] ttps://archive.is/8z5de#selection-1747.53-1747.83

[11] Elephant Farha gives birth to a weak calf // Warning: sensitive content YouTube

[12] ZU SCHWACH ZUM LEBEN

[13] Oldest crocodile after living at Dehiwala zoo dies

[14] ttps://archive.ph/Kr6Qc

[15] ttps://www.yahoo.com/now/beloved-zoo-atlanta-harris-hawk-084817678.html

[16] ttps://archive.ph/zwKU5

[17] ttps://archive.ph/ErkUc

[18] UPDATE: LeLe the Giant Panda Dies of Neglect After Collapse at Memphis Zoo Shortly Before Return to China

[:2-19] 18.0 ^18.1 ^18.2 Another zebra dies of infection at Patna zoo The Times of India

[20] Milwaukee Zoo mourns death of jaguar Stella euthanized at 19

[21] Rajah, Bengal tiger that lived at Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo since he was a cub, dies at 18

[22] ttps://archive.is/0ugVf

[23] ttps://archive.is/ENMBV

[24] ttps://www.dawn.com/news/1741353/probe-into-death-of-golden-tabby-tiger-at-zoo-under-way

[25] ttps://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2023/03/07/alaska-zoo-tiger-dead-19/

[:1-26] 25.0 ^25.1 Sad day in GIVSKUD ZOO: Farewell to the elephants

[27] Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo mourning the death of Sedge the river otter

[28] String of dolphin deaths at Clearwater aquarium prompts ‘expert’ examination Tampa Bay Times

[29] ttps://archive.ph/4Wcnj

[30] A polar bear has died of electric shock at Copenhagen Zoo

[31] ttps://archive.is/4Wcnj

[32] Lonely orca Kiska dies at Marineland in Canada The Animal Reader

[33] ttps://archive.ph/H0Sl7

[34] ttps://archive.ph/XuyfN

[35] ttps://archive.ph/mCNi7

[36] ttps://archive.ph/Th8JV

[37] ttps://archive.ph/5Dwzc

[38] ttps://archive.ph/pnih2

[39] 46-year-old elephant euthanized at Oakland Zoo due to arthritis, other age-related problems Fox News

[40] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20230329104629/https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/maryland-zoo-mourns-unexpected-death-giraffe-willow/

[41] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20230329104629/https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/maryland-zoo-mourns-unexpected-death-giraffe-willow/

[42] ttps://wtop.com/maryland/2023/03/giraffe-named-willow-dies-at-maryland-zoo-after-short-illness/

[43] ttps://archive.ph/wip/5Ye1e

[44] ttps://archive.ph/wip/TOP5h

[45] Little Rock Zoo mourns loss of Nona the grizzly bear (Archived) Arkansas Times

[46] Giant panda Lin Hui dies aged 21 years Bangkok Post

[47] ttps://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230422-ailing-pakistan-elephant-dies-leaving-mourning-partner-in-limbo

[48] ttps://web.archive.org/web/20230426011306/https://www.kalb.com/2023/04/24/lydia-zebra-dies-after-running-into-fence/

[49] Mote Marine Laboratory releases details on death of Hugh the manatee

[50] San Diego Zoo elephant Mary dies at 59 (Archived) Fox 5

[51] ttps://archive.ph/mSIrj

[52] ttps://archive.ph/nG6uD

[53] ttps://archive.ph/l0jLb

[:0-54] 53.0 ^53.1 Beluga whale and bottlenose dolphin die at Marineland, Ontario government says Archived May 9, 2023

[55] ttps://archive.ph/b7CQL

[56] Elephant at Dallas zoo dies from infection

[57] Cheyenne Mountain Zoo’s ‘one-of-a-kind’ African elephant dies Fox 31

[58] Giraffe dies at the Calgary Zoo a day after celebrating 12th birthday CTV News Archived May 25, 2023

[59] Albino rattlesnake that was among largest on record has died at Florida zoo, site says Miami Herald Archived May 25, 2003

[60] A zebra died at the Milwaukee County Zoo from injuries sustained in an accident

[61] Billabong Zoo, visitors devastated over death of treasured 7-year-old African 'lion king' Milo ABC News

[62] ABQ Biopark loses another animal The Daily Lobo

[63] ttps://archive.ph/49BDy#selection-5314.0-5320.0

[64] Black Rhino dies after 17 years at Baton Rouge Zoo; caretakers cite old age WBRZ 2 Archived Jun 14

[65] ttps://www.kwch.com/video/2023/05/31/50-year-old-hippo-dies-sedgwick-co-zoo/

[66] Dudley Zoo announces death of 'firm favourite' lioness BBC News

[67] Chesterfield: Overnight fire at Metro Richmond Zoo, one animal dies

[68] Beloved black rhino dies after 17 years at Baton Rouge Zoo

[69] 'Bask in the sun in her honor': Longtime Louisville Zoo resident dies

[70] 5 Philadelphia Zoo Meerkats Die from Accidental Poisoning Suspected to Be Linked to Dye at Zoo The People Archived Jun 14

[71] Fifth Dolphin Death in 19 Months at Florida Aquarium Under Review MSN Archived Jun 14

[72] Critically endangered addax dies at Smithsonian’s National Zoo WTOP News

[73] Salisbury Zoo’s red wolf dies at age 11 WMDT

[74] Sacramento Zoo’s African lion Kamau dies at 16. Mourned as ‘charismatic and iconic’ animal Sacramento Bee

[75] Oldest African penguin ET dies in Richmond Zoo The Economic Times

[76] Elephant died during anesthesia

[77] ttps://www.moskvarium.ru/about/news/moskvarium-skorbit-ob-utrate-kosatki-norda/

[78] ttps://archive.ph/vBZmo

[79] Perth Zoo makes ‘heartbreaking goodbye’ to giraffe Armani

[80] 25-year-old Eastern Black Rhinoceros dies at Sedgwick County Zoo 12 News

[81] Elephant calf at the Louisville Zoo dies after battle with a deadly virus WPSD Local

[82] Ellen Trout Zoo’s female Maasai giraffe dies The Lufkin Daily News

[83] Lion Prithvi dies at Lucknow Zoo HindustanTimes

[84] Sloth dies suddenly at N.J. zoo, officials announce NJ.com

[85] Cameron Park Zoo mourns death of 10-year-old giraffe, Penelope

[86] Taipei Zoo's Malayan tapir Budak Puntja dies from undetermined causes CNA

[87] ttps://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/salix-rocky-mountain-goat-kid-denver-zoo-death/

[88] ttps://www.wtok.com/2023/07/27/baby-giraffe-dies-just-days-after-its-mother/

[Notes 1]

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[86]

[87]

Captive animal deaths 2023

Contents

List of animals that are known to have died in captivity in 2023

See also

External links

Notes

References