ATLANTA — Zoo Atlanta announced sad news on Friday, sharing that giant otter Bakairi had passed away.
According to Zoo Atlanta, Bakairi had shown signs of not feeling well and started eating less.
When he was anesthetized for a veterinary examination on Thursday, the zoo’s Veterinary Team found he was in end-stage kidney failure.
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“Given his poor prognosis – and hoping to avoid discomfort for what may only have been a matter of weeks left to him – our teams made the difficult and heartbreaking decision to humanely euthanize him on Aug. 6,” zoo officials said.
Zoo Atlanta carnivore keeper Adrianna R. said Bakairi had been a resident at the zoo for 12 years, sharing fond memories of his loud voice, especially when he was hungry.
While Zoo Atlanta staff will miss Bakairi, so will his habitat mate, his aunt Tocantins, or “Toca.”
Zoo staff gave her a chance to say goodbye before Bakairi’s death.
“It’s difficult to say goodbye to someone who brought only joy – and anyone who has ever known an otter cannot help but know joy,” Zoo Atlanta said in a statement.
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