Happy Hollow Says Goodbye to Three Elderly Animal Resident

May 11, 2022

Animals in managed care often live longer than their counterparts in the wild. With access to regular food and water, shelter from harsh climates, the absence of predators and continuously advancing veterinary medicine, you can often find zoo animals living well past their normal life expectancy. With over a third of Happy Hollow’s animals currently nearing or exceeding their life expectancy, we have said an unusual number of goodbyes this year due to old age. 

Most recently, the Happy Hollow team said goodbye to Misti the capuchin monkey, Diyogi the Navajo-Churro Sheep, and Nify the black and white ruffed lemur. All three animals were humanely euthanized due to age-related health conditions. 

Caring for these elderly animals can be challenging, but Happy Hollow has a committed animal care and veterinary team that creates unique care plans for each animal with age-related health conditions. The team will analyze care options, the effectiveness of treatments, and when it is time to begin the end-of-life discussion. We never want an animal’s last day to be their worst. 

Misti 

Capuchin monkey Misti had been retired from her exhibit for three years, but we know many longtime Happy Hollow visitors remember her as a favorite from her time in the Zoo in the Hollow. Misti was 40 years old, 5 years past the average lifespan of 35 of capuchin monkeys in managed care. She was born at the Applegate Park Zoo in Merced, CA on Nov. 4, 1981, and arrived at Happy Hollow on April 13, 1993. Many staff members and guests fell in love with her over the years, watching her antics with her enrichment and her engagement with her care team and anyone watching her. Misti was moved to her retirement home behind the scenes in fall of 2019 so that her care team could ensure she had a climate-controlled home to keep her warm during the cold weather, and when the decision was made to retire her permanently, she even got an outdoor addition so she could enjoy the outdoors when the weather was warm enough. Near the end of her life, as her age-related health conditions such as skin and digestive issues progressed, she was constantly being evaluated by Happy Hollow’s veterinary team. When it was determined that medical treatment options were no longer effective at maintaining an acceptable quality of life, the decision was made to humanely euthanize her. 

Diyogi 

Diyogi was a member of Happy Hollow’s Navajo-Churro sheep heard. At 16 years old, he was well past the expected lifespan of 12 years. Diyogi was born at the Santa Ana Zoo in Santa Ana, CA on April 20, 2006 and moved to Happy Hollow later that year at just six months old. He was the more timid member of Happy Hollow’s sheep herd with respect to the zookeepers but was often seen interacting with guests as though he were a whole different sheep. As Diyogi aged, his body condition deteriorated, and dental surgery and a modified diet were unable to help him gain weight. When it was determined that there were no more treatment options to help him maintain an acceptable quality of life, the decision was made to humanely euthanize him.  

Nify 

Black and white ruffed lemur Nify was the father of his lemur troop in the Zoo in the Hollow. Nify was 21 years old and was born right here at Happy Hollow in 2001. Nify had health challenges from the start, with his mother initially refusing to care for him. As a newborn, zookeepers found Nify pushed away to the far side of the nest box and cold several times, and continued to warm him back up and put him back under his mom until she finally accepted him and cared for both him and his brother. At the age of six, Nify was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and put on medication to manage the condition throughout his life. He remained smaller and less outgoing than the other males, likely due to his health issues, but participated in scent marking and trying to get the attention of the females. Nify got the chance to be a dad when his brother Sahy was transferred to the San Antonio Zoo and female Vintana was transferred to Happy Hollow from the St. Louis Zoo as part of a Species Survival Plan program. He sired four young over the last four years at Happy Hollow. Due to his age and medical condition, staff routinely kept a close eye on Nify and provided him with extra care. Last week in the afternoon, he was found unresponsive after being observed exhibiting normal behavior for most of the day. He was quickly transferred to Doc’s Critter Care for treatment, but the team was unable to revive Nify so the decision was made to humanely euthanize him. 

 

While we are sad to see beloved animals pass due to their age, Happy Hollow is proud to have a team that works tirelessly to keep our animals healthy enough to reach or surpass their life expectancy while still enjoying their lives here at the park and zoo. Animals like Nify, who beat the odds, and Misti and Diyogi, who were each nearly five years past their life expectancy, are the epitome of what we work for. Animal losses are never easy, especially when they come back-to-back as several recent losses at Happy Hollow have, but we are committed to continuing to provide the best possible care to every animal at Happy Hollow, no matter that animal’s age or health conditions.  
 

It can be difficult sometimes to see that light at the end of the tunnel, but we are looking forward to welcoming several new animals to the Happy Hollow family this season. Keep your eyes right here on our blog and follow us on social media for upcoming announcements.