Zoo mourns death of 21-year-old jaguar Siu Fa but decides not to replace her
Jaguar Siu Fa, an attraction at the Zoological and Botanical Garden for 19 years, died yesterday aged 21, the equivalent of a centenarian in human years.
News of the death came as the Leisure and Cultural Services Department said it had abandoned plans to find a replacement for the big cat, which had been suffering from problems associated with ageing for months.
The mother of three, whose name means Little Flower, was born in the Berlin Zoo in Germany in 1987 and arrived in Hong Kong two years later.
'The LCSD understands the public and media concerns about the health of Siu Fa, and had been releasing information through the media that Siu Fa's days were numbered,' a spokesman for the zoo said.
'She was under the intensive care provided by the zoo's zoological team and was closely monitored by the department's senior veterinary officer. But she lost the battle against time and passed away peacefully.'
The 21-year-old had lived beyond a jaguar's average life expectancy of 20.
Visitors to the zoo in Mid-Levels reported in January that the jaguar had been seen hobbling, dragging its hindquarters, and apparently in distress in its enclosure.
Zoo officials said then that they were looking for a replacement because Siu Fa was near the end of her life.
But a Leisure and Cultural Services Department spokesman said yesterday the zoo needed more space if it was to host another jaguar or big cat.
It had decided instead to renovate Siu Fa's cage to house endangered primates as part of an international breeding and conservation programme the zoo is involved in.
It said zoo staff were saddened by the loss of the zoo's long-term resident.
The jaguar's remains will be preserved as an exhibit for display and educational purposes. Siu Fa had had two 'husbands' during her stay in the city, the first of which had to be humanely killed after being found to have a congenital spine disease.
The second one, Siu Hak, or Blackie, stayed with Siu Fa for 16 years before dying in 2003. Siu Fa's three offspring have been sent to zoos overseas.
