Farewell to “Sheba” the oldest living AZA Zoo Jaguar

The El Paso Zoo’s 26 year-old black jaguar “Sheba” was euthanized November 8th, 2007 after months of specialized veterinary and keeper care for multiple long-term medical issues related to her age. “We came to the conclusion that we would not be able to keep her comfortable any longer,” said El Paso Zoo Veterinarian, Dr Victoria Milne. “For many months, she’s been under treatment including multiple medications, fluid therapy for chronic renal failure and medications for arthritis. Because these specific conditions are not curable, and because of other conditions caused by old age, our goal has been to manage her condition so that Sheba remained active and comfortable as long as possible.”

The El Paso Zoo’s veterinarian said the jaguar's condition had worsened during the past days. Dr. Milne said that every effort was made to keep the big cat comfortable and monitor her quality of life. A full post mortem examination will be conducted on the jaguar before cremation.

Dr. Milne commended Sheba’s caretakers for their diligent work everyday. “The keepers have done an outstanding job by training Sheba to voluntarily participate in her necessary treatments, which avoided the usual stress that can go along with a vet visit,” said Dr. Milne. Dr. Milne and zoo staff manage the health of several geriatric patients under their charge and due to the quality of care in accredited zoos - most animals are living longer than they would in the wild. “The zoo keepers who work with Sheba every day are suffering a terrible loss" said Milne. "Sheba is a special case – she’s been here at the zoo for 17 years – so keepers have been working with her for a very long time. They developed an intense bond and it really is traumatic, but we have been readying ourselves for this time." Steve Marshall, El Paso Zoo Director said “Most days at the Zoo are a celebration of life and its astonishing diversity. We help zoo guests discover the value of animals and natural resources. In this case, the zoo has lost a valuable and beloved member of our family. Sheba will be missed.”

Sheba was born in the Jacksonville Zoo on December 8th, 1980 and died one month before her 27th birthday. The Downtown Lions Club donated Sheba to the El Paso Zoo in April/May of 1990. According to Lehigh Valley Zoo’s Executive Director Stacey Johnson, Sheba was the oldest living jaguar in all the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) zoos in the United States. He says the second oldest living female jaguar lived at the San Francisco Zoo, until she died in 1976 at the age of 26. “Erie Pennsylvania has a male jaguar born in February of 1983, making him the second oldest in the AZA Species Survival Plan® program.”

Johnson prepares the big cat statistics for the Species Survival Plan® program (SSP) as the program’s coordinator. The El Paso Zoo is one of 52 zoos listed as an accredited member of the AZA in the United States that participates in the jaguar SSP. Johnson says the studbook goes back to approximately 1886. “It’s definitely a record we can definitively track. Jaguars are the longest living of the big cats - you know, lions, tigers, jaguars, leopards - and to have one go into her 20’s is just amazing,” said Johnson, whose job it is to collect data on the living population of jaguars in the North American zoos and coordinate management of the zoo jaguar population for the long term. “It’s not uncommon for them to see their early 20’s – but my goodness, 27 is a long time,” Johnson said.

Jaguars are an endangered species due to loss of habitat and over-hunting by man. During the peak of their decline in the sixties and seventies, around 18,000 jaguars were killed every year for their much sought-after coat. Due to consumer pressure, the fashion for animal furs has declined, but the jaguar is still hunted. Today, the major threat comes from deforestation which is drastically affecting the jaguars’ food sources as well as fragmenting the cats’ population into more isolated pockets.

It is estimated that there are now only around 15,000 jaguars left in the wild and conservation is centering on the establishment of protected “National Park” areas which may serve to reduce the decline of the jaguars’ natural habitat. Conservationists also hope that jaguars will be successful in re-inhabiting former parts of their range in the Southwest. Jaguars have been recently spotted moving north from Mexico and crossing into New Mexico and Arizona.