Miller Park ZooIllinois announced the death of Rilu, a 11-year-old snow leopard.
“Rilu arrived at the Miller Park Zoo in 2011 from the Oklahoma City Zoo,”They wrote. “During his time here, he produced seven living offspring that are now part of the Species Survival Plan.”
They say that Rilu made it one of the top institutions in the world to produce snow leopard cubs.
“Rilu’s personality and beauty will be missed by guests and staff, but he will not be forgotten,”They added.
Instagram also shared Rilu’s film capture in Joel Sartore’s project “The Photo Ark,”Photos and videos of Rilu were shared around the world, including New York’s Empire State Building.
“I love that the legacy of Rilu will live on in the Photo Ark,” Miller Park Zoo Superintendent Jay Tetzloff said. “Rilu will engage and astonish the world for many years to come.”
Miller Park Zoo announced days before Rilu’s funeral that some buildings would be closed indefinitely to the general public “as the COVID positivity in the community dramatically increases, and some of the cats are exhibiting symptoms again.”
“The first cat began coughing and had a raspy respiration beginning on November 20,”They wrote that they were veterinary treating the other cats.
They noticed that none of the animals in the zoo had been given COVID-19 shots, and that all indoor spaces required masks.
Since the pandemic, there have been a number of cases in which animals contracted COVID-19. In July 2021, a San Diego snow leopard was found to have the virus. The Bronx Zoo in New York also had a COVID-positive tiger in April 2020.
In July of 2021, zoo animals in the Oakland Zoo began receiving experimental COVID-19 vaccines.