‘Sudden Loss’ Of Beloved Sea Lion Stuns Staff At Turtle Back Zoo

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Turtle Back Zoo in Essex County has lost a beloved member of its animal family: Zeus the sea lion.

Staff at the county-run zoo, which is located in West Orange, reported the death of Zeus via a social media post on Thursday. It read:

“Essex County Turtle Back Zoo staff acted swiftly yesterday when our sea lion, Zeus, was reported by a behavior watcher to have abruptly dropped to the bottom of the pool with no movement. Zeus had been behaving normally up until that point, eating and training with the animal care team that loved him dearly. Our entire zoo family is shocked and devastated by this sudden loss. Sea lions are a listed species under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, but are considered ‘Least Concern’ by the IUCN. They are native to the west coast of North America.”

The zoo has earned multiple certifications from American Humane, and recently received accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for the fourth time.

Several people recalled the sea lion with fondness and expressed sympathies for the zoo staff. Seen online:

• “So sorry for my fellow keepers, whom have spent so much time with that beautiful boy, and the staff and have been thst has also been devastated by this sudden shock. Tears and hugs that consumed us today just shows how much we ALL feel his loss. But you, The Sea Lion Team took the hardest hit ... So so sorry guys.”
• “As a student from MSU, four of us had the honor to do research for about four months on Zeus, Porter and JR, and all I can say is these zookeepers do such an amazing job at talking care of them and most important give them love. My heart is truly broken my condolences to everyone.”
• “We were there today and were sad to see it closed. They were very loud the whole time we were there and we were wondering why. Poor thing, so sad to hear he passed. His friends were definitely morning him today.”
• “Hopefully they will perform a necropsy and learn what condition may have existed to be aware in case it had something preventable … another seal may be saved – so very sad, but at least it went quickly while enjoying its life. They have such wonderful personalities, sad for the zookeepers.”

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