Oregon Zoo Euthanizes Leopard, May Be Oldest of its Species

The Oregon Zoo Tuesday announced that it had euthanized Kia, a 20-year-old Amur Leopard, an extremely rare species.

Kia was born in 1995 and arrived in Portland 12 years later.

She was the oldest Amur Leopard in any facility accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and may have been the oldest in the world.

"Given that there are fewer than 300 of these animals left in the entire world, every passing feels particularly poignant," zoo curator Amy Cutting said. "But of course this one is very personal for us. Kia was one of a kind, and her loss will be keenly felt by everyone who had the opportunity to know her."

Kia was diagnosed in 2014 with kidney disease and while progression of the disease can be slowed, it is still progressive.

"Her condition was deteriorating, and when she lost her enthusiasm for food — a very rare thing for her — and became less engaged with keepers and Borris, we knew it was time to let her go," Cutting said.

Amur Leopards are native to southeastern Russia and are considered he most endangered of all the big cats.