Murray Wood: Reporting live from beneath mounds of data
You can't say Saskatchewan isn't releasing annual reports on the Crown corporations, but Murray Wood says it's being don...
They called for Jeff Mitchell on Saturday morning. Everyone knew it was time.
Mitchell, the manager of Saskatoon’s Forestry Farm Park & Zoo, had been expecting the call. For the past six months, staff at the zoo had been closely monitoring the health of Kazi, a snow leopard that had been a resident at the Forestry Farm for the past five years.
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At 19 years old, Kazi had already lived longer than most members of his species. In the wild, Mitchell said snow leopards typically live to a maximum of just 12 or 13. Their life expectancy increases in captivity, but Kazi, who had lived in zoos his entire life, was a senior by any standard.
“The longest-lived snow leopard in any zoo was 21, and 93 per cent of snow leopards die before they turn 19, so Kazi outlived 93 per cent of his group,” Mitchell explained. “He had a really great, wonderful life.”
Kazi never saw the mountains Kazakhstan that he was named after. He was born in captivity at the Toronto Zoo, but he was later transferred to the Edmonton Valley Zoo as part of the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan Program, which manages breeding and transfers of captive animals in an effort to sustain a genetically diverse and biologically sound captive population. While in Edmonton, Kazi fathered multiple cubs with a female snow leopard, but that relationship ended up taking an unfortunate turn.
“She decided that she wasn’t a fan of Kazi anymore, so Kazi was able to come to Saskatoon and basically retire,” Mitchell said.
But after five years at the Forestry Farm, Kazi’s kidneys began to fail. Mitchell said staff had been watching his urine output and writing daily reports on his health, but on Friday, his decline was becoming obvious.
“We all got together and were like ‘Let’s see how he does over the weekend,’ because we thought it was close,” Mitchell said. “And then on Saturday morning the staff called me in, I came in, and we all agreed it was time.”
There is a process for humanely ending a zoo animal’s life. It’s not a process anyone enjoys, but Mitchell said it’s important to get it right.
On Saturday, after the decision to end Kazi’s life had been made, the snow leopard obliged the staff by coming into his back area, away from the public-facing parts of his enclosure.
“Caring for animals also means making difficult decisions when their quality of life declines,” zoo manager Jeff Mitchell said in a statement. “This was not a decision made lightly.” (City of Saskatoon/Submitted)
Mitchell said a veterinarian administered an anesthetic to render the big cat unconscious. Then they established an IV line and pushed the drugs that ended the animal’s life.
“It’s a very solemn time for us, but very, very much rehearsed and practiced, because we know we have to do this and we know this is the best thing for Kazi at that point,” Mitchell said.
After Kazi’s death, his remains were loaded into a waiting van, and zoo employees were given a chance to pay their final respects.
“Staff that wanted to come in and be able to say goodbye, they could give him a little pat on the head or cry on his cheek a little bit and tell him that they loved him and missed him,” Mitchell said.
While the first part of Kazi’s life was dedicated to helping his species survive and thrive, Mitchell said his death will also contribute to humanity’s knowledge of the species, and may help inform future practices around caring for captive snow leopards.
Mitchell said Kazi’s remains were transferred to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan for a necropsy.
“Because he’s part of the (Species Survival Plan), even after his death, during the necropsy, we’re continuing to do research and look at different things,” Mitchell said, adding that Kazi’s eyes will be of particular interest to scientists.
“Snow leopards are notorious for having some eye problems, so his eyes will be saved and be shipped to the University of Illinois,” the zoo manager explained.
Researchers will also take a close look at the animal’s liver, spleen, kidneys and brain, Mitchell added, examining their health and comparing them against other samples and existing data to learn anything they can about the species from Kazi’s remains.
Snow leopards’ status as a vulnerable species made the final part of the process an absolute requirement.
Mitchell said part of the licence that allows the Forestry Farm to keep and display endangered animals like Kazi also requires the zoo to take steps to prevent the potential trafficking in exotic animal parts. According to the Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union, snow leopard pelts sold illegally in western markets can fetch thousands of dollars, with skulls, claws, blood and even meat from the rare animals also commanding high prices on black markets around the world.
That meant that Kazi’s remains – the parts that were not removed for further study – were incinerated.
Mitchell said staff at the zoo occasionally struggle after losing an animal, saying they are almost like coworkers to the park’s employees.
“Luckily, we have some amazing resources here,” Mitchell said.
“We had some elders come out today and do some smudging for us, to help us kind of just get through the process, and then we actually have an on-site counsellor that comes out every once in a while and works with my staff, especially through our grieving processes. We work through it and we really come together as a team and support each other during this time.”
The zoo said two commemorative signs will be set up outside Kazi’s habitat later this week, where visitors will be invited to leave messages.
Mitchell said he’ll miss the snow leopard, even though he admitted that Kazi never much cared for him.
“Kazi absolutely loved his day-to-day animal care keepers,” Mitchell explained.
“He would come up for back scratches, and he was just this very charismatic, wonderful cat with all of them, but he absolutely did not like me. And so I would walk into the back area and he’d be back there and he’d start growling and start roaring, and it was always really funny. My staff always thought it was awesome that he could display his displeasure for the boss like they’re not able to do sometimes, so it became really like a running joke for us.”
While Kazi’s loss is still being felt, Mitchell said his role in collection planning means the process of adding a new exhibit in the snow leopard’s place has already begun. He said there are a number of animals involved in various species survival plan programs, like Kazi was, which may present an option for another big cat to join the exhibits in Saskatoon.
“With the Saskatoon Zoo Foundation, we’re going to be doing some renovations to that exhibit space,” Mitchell explained.
“There’s a few options out there. I’m not going to commit to anything yet, because we’re still looking.”
The zookeeper said he hopes to be able to announce a new exhibit by September or October.
Kazi may be gone, but Mitchell said he served as a great ambassador for his species, entertaining thousands of visitors and helping to preserve snow leopard genetics during his life, and even advancing scientific research after his death.
“We make sure that we give them a great, long life, and that’s one of the things that we were able to do for Kazi here,” he said.
