PC: Fox 11 Online
SUAMICO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — For the second time in three months, the NEW Zoo is mourning the loss of one of its red wolves.
A social media post Thursday announced the death of the zoo’s female red wolf, 15-year-old Mayo. It was back in May that the zoo’s male wolf, Jason, was euthanized after being diagnosed with an aggressive nasal and oral cancer.
Officials say Mayo was born at the Western North Carolina Nature Center on May 5, 2009 (“Cinco de Mayo”), which is how she got her name. Mayo came to the NEW Zoo in 2013 and raised six pups the following year.
Mayo died overnight July 31 and was discovered the next morning by her zookeepers. “All indications pointed to a peaceful passing in her sleep,” the zoo wrote on Facebook.
Zoo officials said Mayo’s death came as somewhat of a surprise. Although at the time, Mayo was the second oldest living red wolf in the world at 15 years old, she was sedated a few months ago for a routine annual exam and “was looking great for her age.”
Even as recent as last week, Mayo was observed initiating play behaviors through the fence with the male Canada lynx who lives in the habitat next door, something the two animals have always seemed to enjoy doing.
An exact cause of death was not determined in Mayo’s necropsy (animal autopsy), but officials said “there were several age-related complications that likely led to her death.”
Jason came to NEW Zoo in 2021 to be a mate for Mayo. Although the pair never produced offspring, they formed a close relationship and were strongly bonded.
Since Jason’s death, the NEW Zoo has been working with the American Red Wolf SAFE program to find a male wolf to join its family.
The zoo said it “will continue to move forward with any recommendations from SAFE” and they “hope to introduce the community to a new ‘wolf pack’ in the coming months.”
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