Kangaroo Jack, the red kangaroo at the Emperor Valley Zoo whose emaciated appearance sparked social media outrage earlier this year, has died.
In a statement yesterday in response to a newspaper report, John Seyjagat of the Zoological Society of T&T (ZSTT) said the kangaroo died on May 3.
“Jack lived a full life and passed away with dignity at age 12-14 years,” he said.
There had been widespread concern about Kangaroo Jack’s welfare after photos of him surfaced on social media.
At the time officials of the zoo defended the quality of the animal’s care and said ongoing health assessments and follow-up evaluations by local and foreign welfare veterinary experts determined that he was “active, bright, alert and responsive with a good appetite and stool.”
His appearance was attributed to his physiological state and age.
In April, Jack had a physical examination conducted by the zoo’s veterinarian and staff in consultation with animal welfare experts from the University of Florida School of Veterinary Medicine and the Zoological Society of America which concluded that although no specific, clinically detectable disease was identified, Jack was a geriatric kangaroo with several findings consistent with his old age.
Jack’s cause of death as diagnosed by the University of the West Indies, School of Veterinary Medicine was cardiomyopathy, pulmonary congestion, enteritis and hepatic congestion.
“The cardiomyopathy is likely the main contributor to the death of this animal leading to pulmonary and hepatic congestion with fibrosis,” Seyjagat said
He added that ZSTT and the Emperor Valley “take animal welfare seriously and provide exemplary husbandry and care of its animals.”
