Weeks after the deaths of a red panda and her two cubs at the Santa Barbara Zoo, the zoo is mourning the loss of another animal.
In a social media post, the zoo announced that veterinarians discovered an inoperable mass in the throat of Poppy, an 8-year-old capybara, making it difficult for her to breathe or eat. She was humanely euthanized on Friday.
“Once our animal care team noticed that Poppy, a senior capybara, was breathing irregularly, we acted quickly to determine what was wrong. She underwent a series of exams and diagnostic scans, including a CT scan, and we brought in a veterinary specialist to perform an endoscopic exam so we could better understand the mass and determine whether it could be treated. Sadly, the mass was extensive, severely obstructing her airway, and could not be surgically removed. Knowing there was no treatment that could give Poppy a meaningful chance of recovery, we made the heartbreaking decision to humanely euthanize her rather than allow her to suffer,” said Dr. Julie Barnes, Vice President of Animal Care & Health at the zoo.
As for the zoo's other capybara, it’s been about two months since visitors have seen 4-year-old Antonio.
Following extensive testing, he’s now undergoing chemotherapy after it was confirmed he had multiple myeloma, which the zoo states is a “rare type of blood cancer that originates in the plasma cells of the bone marrow.”
The zoo states Antonio seems to be improving and they’re hoping he achieves remission.
“This is the first known case of successfully diagnosing multiple myeloma in a living capybara at an AZA-accredited institution, making Antonio’s treatment an important opportunity to learn more about this rare disease in capybaras. His prognosis remains guarded, but our veterinary and animal care teams are doing everything possible to give him the best care and chance for a meaningful recovery,” the zoo stated in a press release.
Poppy was born in 2018 at the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Canada. Antonio was born in 2022 at the Montgomery Zoo in Alabama.
The Santa Barbara Zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums since 1982.
