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Zoo says jaguar with kidney failure has been euthanized

Posted at 8:00 AM, Sep 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-18 09:00:10-04

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A Louisiana zoo says one of its two jaguars has been euthanized following a diagnosis of kidney failure last year.

The News Orleans Advocate reports the Audubon Zoo announced the death of 21-year-old Ix Chel on Monday. Ix Chel was born at the Guadalajara Zoo in 1997 and transferred to the Audubon zoo the next year. She was diagnosed last year with kidney failure, which is a common illness among aging cats.

The zoo’s other jaguar, Valerio, is being cared for behind the scenes while the jaguar exhibit undergoes repairs. Valerio chewed through the roof of his enclosure over the summer and escaped, killing nine other zoo animals before being caught. An improved jaguar exhibit is set to reopen this fall.