The South China Morning Post reported last month that the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) had decided not to find a replacement for the jaguar Siu Fa which died of old age at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Garden in June.
The mother of three, Siu Fa, which means Little Flower, was born in the Berlin Zoo in Germany in 1987 and arrived in Hong Kong two years later.
The 21-year-old had lived beyond a jaguar's average life expectancy of 20.
The zoo had been looking for a replacement when they realised the ailing jaguar's death was imminent. But an LCSD spokesman said that the zoo needed more space if it was to host another jaguar or big cat.
Instead of a replacement, her cage will be renovated to house endangered primates as part of an international breeding and conservation programme the zoo is involved in.
Animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Asia-Pacific (Peta) welcomed the decision as a humane move.