2 African wild dogs pass away at The Living Desert

Officials at The Living Desert have announced that both of the zoo’s African wild dogs passed away this week. The wild dogs were named Malia and Manny. Malia was a 14-year-old female and Manny was a 12-year-old male.

According to the zoo’s release, Manny was found unresponsive in his exhibit on the evening of Tuesday, January 24. He was rushed to the zoo’s Tennity Wildlife Hospital and Conservation’s ICU for emergency treatment and was monitored throughout the evening.

The vet team discovered Manny was in severe kidney failure and made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize him on Wednesday, January 26.

The necropsy (animal autopsy) showed that Manny had a potentially cancerous abscess along his jaw, as well as a number of other advanced ailments, officials said in the release.

On Friday, January 27, Malia underwent her pre-scheduled annual exam and blood chemistry tests revealed elevated liver enzyme levels and a progressive deterioration of pre-existing conditions (she had been under veterinary care due to a number of tumors along her back).

Based on the results of her recent exam and evaluation of her overall wellbeing, officials said the decision was made to humanely euthanize Malia on Tuesday, January 31.

“Malia and Manny have been members of our zoo family for a number of years. They were a bonded, sibling pair, and have lived together at The Living Desert since 2013,” said Allen Monroe, President/CEO of The Living Desert. “Decisions like this are never easy. Vet and animal staff had been monitoring Malia and Manny for a long period of time due to their increased age and had been evaluating the ailments that are associated with that advanced age.”

Zoo officials said Malia came to The Living Desert in 2006 from the Denver Zoo. She birthed one liter of four puppies in 2009. Malia was the oldest African wild dog in human care at 14 years old. Manny came to The Living Desert in 2013 from the Denver Zoo. Malia and Manny are full siblings, sharing the same parents, from two different litters.

“Malia and Manny’s longevity and full life are a testament to the zoo’s care of these animals. Both Malia and Manny well exceeded the average life expectancy of their species, and did their part to inspire guests about their species and the current plight of their wild counterparts,” said RoxAnna Breitigan, Director of Animal Programs at The Living Desert. “We are heartbroken by the loss of these two amazing animals, and this loss is felt by everyone associated with The Living Desert, but we take comfort in knowing that they lived such long, full lives.”

Officials said the median life expectancy for an African wild dog in the wild is approximately 10 years old and in human care is 10-13 years old. African wild dogs are characterized by their large oval shaped ears and unique coat patterns and colors. Also known as African painted dogs, they are highly social animals, always living in packs with strong social bonds and hierarchy. Native to sub-Saharan African, African wild dogs have disappeared from much of their former range in Northern and Eastern Africa. Currently listed as Endangered by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature), wild populations number fewer than 7,000 animals.