The 45-year-old female hippopotamus, Water Lily, residing at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, since 1979, will be euthanized next week.
Water Lily, the 1,360 kg hippopotamus at Woodland Park Zoo, chasing a pumpkin during Halloween. (Photo: Greg Gilbert / Seattle Times).
According to Seattle Times, on April 24, Woodland Park Zoo announced that Water Lily, also known as Lily, has experienced a decline in health and quality of life, with reduced mobility, instability while standing, and difficulty getting up and out of the pool, following a cancer diagnosis in March.
Caregivers stated that Lily’s deteriorating condition is irreversible. Dr. Tim Storms, the zoo’s director of animal health, mentioned that gentle euthanasia “is always very difficult, but we have determined that now is the best time to intervene to prevent the decline in the hippopotamus’s health from reaching a point where bad days outnumber good ones.”
Lily was born at the Houston Zoo in 1978 and moved to Seattle a year later.
Water Lily is a beloved star at Woodland Park Zoo. (Photo: Woodland Park Zoo).
Lily has become an integral part of the lives of all the caregivers who have worked with her, according to Lauren Sutherland-Cook, the zoo’s senior animal manager, in a press release.
“For those trusted by Lily, you have the privilege of knowing all her favorite things, such as ‘she loves to be scratched under her chin; her ears will wiggle when she pops up in the pool upon hearing your voice,’” Sutherland-Cook stated.
In the wild, hippos typically live to about 40 years. According to Woodland Park, in zoos, they can live up to 50 years.
Lily has lived at Woodland Park alongside Guadalupe, also known as Lupe, a 25-year-old female hippopotamus who has been there since 2003.
Using hand signals and holding an apple, hippopotamus caretaker Matt Mills interacts with Guadalupe in the hippopotamus enclosure at Woodland Park Zoo. Guadalupe may find a new home after her companion, Water Lily, is euthanized. (Photo: Steve Ringman / Seattle Times).
Zoo staff are preparing support plans for Lupe and helping the animal adjust. The zoo has also stated that staff are evaluating options to transfer Lupe to another zoo where she can have companions.
In a February 2020 newsletter, Woodland Park mentioned that the hippopotamus habitat has been in place for over 40 years and accounts for nearly 20% of the zoo’s total annual water usage. Zoo officials stated that they do not plan to bring in any new hippopotamuses.
Those wishing to visit Lily have until April 28, after which the zoo will temporarily close the area housing this hippopotamus.
Woodland Park stated that Lily will continue to enjoy her pool and outdoor habitat until then and will still be able to see visitors who come to say goodbye.
The zoo requests that people do not leave memorial items at Lily and Lupe’s habitat or inside the zoo, as these items could fall into the habitat and cause unintended harm.
Lily and Lupe in the pool. (Photo: Woodland Park Zoo).
People can share memories, photos, or support on the zoo’s social media channels.
