'She'll be missed' - Dudley Zoo announce death of 'last of its kind' animal aged 29
Dudley Zoo have announced the death of their 'last of its kind' Patagonian Sea Lion.
Tania, who was Dudley Zoo's only remaining animal of its kind, has died at the age of 29.
The zoo has said that age-related conditions meant Tania had received regular veterinary care for several years, but on Monday, January 26 the 'kind decision' was made to 'put her to sleep.'
Announcing her passing on Facebook, a zoo spokesperson said: "We’ve got some sad news to bring you today, as Tania, our last Patagonian sea lion has passed away.
"In recent years, Tania had been receiving regular veterinary care for age-related conditions and yesterday afternoon, we made the kind decision to put her to sleep.
"The 29-year-old has been at Dudley Zoo for the past decade.
"She arrived in 2015 from Marineland in France and records show she was one of the oldest female Patagonian sea lions in zoos across the world.
"A wonderful ambassador for her species, she'll be much missed."
Many people paid tribute to Tania in the comments, with Christine Bate saying: "I am so sorry to hear this. Every year for the past 10 years+ I have brought my grandchildren to the zoo for their annual visit and they love the sea lions. She was so lovely and you could see she had a character."
Myra Bell added: "She had a good life. Was really entertaining well done to the keepers for giving her the life she had."
