Roger Williams Park Zoo Mourns Death Of Cheetah Johari

PROVIDENCE, RI — The Roger Williams Park Zoo has lost a cheetah after an illness caused her health to decline sharply during the last few weeks, zoo officials said.

Johari, one of the zoo's female cheetahs, suffered from gastritis, or inflammation and ulcers in the stomach, an ailment officials said can be common for cheetahs, but that can be challenging for the animal care and veterinary teams to manage.

She was humanely euthanized on Monday, zoo officials said.

Zoo staff had been treating her with dietary changes and medications while closely monitoring bloodwork and performing a gastrointestinal endoscopy with help from veterinary internal medicine specialists, officials said. The Zoo staff conducted this testing because their previous work conditioned her for voluntary blood draws.

Johari came to the Zoo with her siblings in 2015 from the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas. She would have been nine years old this month. Cheetahs live between seven to ten years on average in the wild, officials said.

Those who worked closely with Johari will remember her for having a strong and fun personality.

"She was the sassy cat of the bunch. Some of her favorite things included: watching the cars on I95 from the rock in her yard, hanging out in the tree and chasing balls. She also liked to greet us by jumping on the fence," said keeper Laura Issacs.