The Phoenix Zoo announced Monday that it had euthanized its spotted hyena, Huckleberry, on Friday.

The zoo made the decision to humanely euthanize Huckleberry after his mobility severely declined, it said in a statement posted to Facebook.

The hyena already had gradually declining mobility managed with a variety of medications, wrote carnivore keeper Heather Vetter. Recently, he became acutely ataxic, showing abnormal, uncoordinated movements, and exhibited severe neurologic signs. 

Huckleberry reached 27.5 years old, seven years longer than the average hyena life expectancy.

“He was an outstanding ambassador for his species,” said Vetter, “completely shattering the myth that hyenas are despicable, conniving creatures.”

Huckleberry and another hyena, Cahli, arrived in 2015 as the first hyenas ever at the Phoenix Zoo. He was born in 1993 at UC Berkeley in a spotted hyena colony established in 1985. The famous colony was studied by biologist Stephen Glickman and behaviorist Laurence Frank. Huckleberry, the descendant of wild-born Kenyan hyenas, participated in giving a wealth of knowledge on hyena reproduction and social behavior.

Huckleberry spent 10 years along with Cahli at the Milwaukee County Zoo, eight months at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo, and 11 more years at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, South Carolina, before coming to Arizona.

Vetter described Huckleberry as “independent and curious, yet extremely friendly and social, with an undeniable flair for comedy.” He loved dunking logs and dinner rabbits in his pond as well as “home renovation,” in which he removed plaster from walls and gave them to his keeper. He was and will always be, said Vetter, “our Huckleberry.” 

The Phoenix Zoo also euthanized a female lion, Cookie, on March 9. Cookie lived to be 22, well past the average life expectancy of 16.9 years. She had severe, progressive degenerative changes in her vertebrae and spinal cord that affected mobility and quality of life. Cookie and her brother Sheik arrived at the zoo in 2005 after living in the Pittsburgh Zoo for several years. She was born into the hands of a private owner, where the cubs were confined and touted at shows and fairs until confiscated by state authorities. 

Reach breaking news reporter Nienke Onneweer at [email protected] or on Twitter @thenienke.

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